Principals
by Silver Beauty
Summary: Sorry, no summary.
1. Default Chapter

PRINCIPALS  
  
Archive: Yes, please! Anywhere! If you could just let me know... I'd like to visit.  
  
Spoilers: Oh, Lord, where to begin? Better beware of absolutely everything that's ever aired. I'm still working.  
  
Rating: Ah, maybe a *slight* R for language.  
  
Classification: MSR. Duh.  
  
Summary: Just read it, *please*? I promise it gets pretty good. IMHO.  
  
Disclaimer: Oh, boy, my first disclaimer and I'm bored already. They're not mine. Don't sue. I got nothin'.  
  
Feedback: Does my dog bark at all hours of the night and wake me up? That's a yes, in case you're wondering. Flames will be used to give ol' CGB a light when next we meet...  
  
  
  
PRINCIPALS  
  
Shared joy is double joy; shared sorrow is half sorrow.   
–Swedish Proverb  
  
  
I.  
  
October 21, 2000  
Apartment of Dana Scully  
2:00 AM  
  
Even while Dana Scully didn't go to church as much as she used to, she still had an old book of hymns that she used to enjoy singing at home as much as during the services. And so she still did, though not often. She reveled in the fact that she'd been able to fool Mulder into thinking she couldn't sing back in the forest in Florida that one time when they'd escaped a team seminar. It wasn't good to have him know everything about her. But she did sing, and sang well, which was why when the mood struck her, she did not like to be interrupted. And tonight was the perfect time for it; pouring rain outside, candles burning inside… the phone rang. She glared at it, then picked it up.  
  
"Scully." The only sound was ragged breathing, faint and far away. After traveling through God only knows how many phone lines, it was barely audible. She looked at the clock. It was two in the morning. "Hello? Who is—Mulder?" Who else? She just couldn't believe it took her so long to figure it out. And it sounded like he was in trouble. Scully blew out the candles quickly, then ran out into the storm.   
  
After breaking what seemed like every traffic law possible, she reached his apartment. As she slid the key into the lock and pushed the door open, a strangled cry came from within. Her legs nearly got knocked out from under her as her gruesome doctor mind supplied her imagination with all sorts of wonderful scenarios she might walk in to find. And her heart was rebelling against all of it. He was ok. She knew it. What would she do if he wasn't?  
  
Fox Mulder had long ago decided that his leather couch was more comfortable than any bed, and consequently slept there every night. Never mind that those dreams he kept having of a certain redhead continued to wake him stuck to the cushions with cold sweat, that didn't matter. The point was, he had no where else to sleep. Especially since his waterbed sprang a leak. Scully still didn't believe it had ever existed. But here he was, on the couch, clutching a pillow to his chest.  
  
He was having a nightmare. Mulder's eyes were clenched shut and his back was already stuck to the couch with sweat… he looked miserable. His cell phone was off the hook and on the floor. Scully reached down and turned it off. He must have accidentally knocked it off the table and hit the speed dial number, on which she was the only number.   
  
"No…" he moaned, grabbing the pillow even harder. "Scully…" Mulder's nails started to rip the fabric slightly. "Please—Scully…"  
  
She straightened up, a bemused expression on her face, much like the one when she'd caught Sheila kissing Mulder in Kroner at the news studio. Maybe it wasn't a nightmare. Should she wake him up? Her first thought was that he was dreaming of her in a very non-platonic manner. Her eyes darkened to a as she thought of this, although it didn't seem odd; she'd had those kinds of dreams about Mulder many times. But if he was having a nightmare, her possible embarrassment came in second to his relief from pain.  
  
Suddenly he jerked around, turning his back to her and nearly ripping the stuffing out of the pillow. His face was in such an expression of pain she felt her heart break. Enough was enough. Scully knelt down next to him, putting a hand on his arm. She felt his muscles contracting and bit her lip.  
  
"Mulder." She tried softly. "Mulder, it's me." He didn't reply, and Scully felt her stomach clench and her hands grow cold. Mulder had always been a light sleeper—she'd never seen him like this before. "Mulder?"  
  
"Don't!" he yelled, and she flinched back. But he wasn't awake. "If you lay one hand on Scully, then so help me God…" he gasped. Scully paled. Where was this coming from? She tried to wake him up once more.  
  
"Mulder?" her hand returned to his arm. "Mulder, come on, wake up. Mulder!"  
  
"Don't!" he whimpered, then stiffened. "No!" he sat up straight, eyes squeezed shut, breathing hard. A hand rose to wipe the sweat from his tortured face, then rested over his eyes so he couldn't look at the woman he knew was there, the woman he knew had saved him once again.   
  
"Mulder?" she asked softly. He seemed not to hear her. "Mulder, it's me. Calm down. You were having a nightmare." God, I hope that was a nightmare. She thought dryly, then shook herself. This wasn't funny. "It's ok, I'm here. It's ok. Come on."  
  
Slowly she eased herself up onto the couch where his head had been and wrapped her arms around him tight. After awhile, his breathing grew even and she removed her arms reluctantly. Mulder swung his legs down and leaned back against the cushions, looking at her.  
  
"Mulder, these nightmares. How long have you been having them?"  
  
"Since Donnie Pfaster came back, on and off." He confessed to his hands. She winced.  
  
"How often?" he didn't answer. She took his hand in hers and forced him to look at her. "How often, Mulder?"  
  
"It varies, uh… maybe once, twice a week?" he shrugged. "What are you doing here, Scully?"  
  
"You called me when you were sleeping."  
  
"I—did?" he stammered nervously.  
  
"On the phone, Mulder." She said quickly, saving them both from embarrassment.   
  
"Oh. Sorry I bothered you."  
  
"And I—oh, Mulder. You didn't bother me. I don't want you to hesitate to call if you need help, ok?" she got up.  
  
"Where're you going?"  
  
"Home. Sleep. Work." She smiled faintly at him. "Try and get some rest, will you?"  
  
"Yeah." He grinned sheepishly as she walked out, closing the door gently behind her, then locking it with her key.  
  
Mulder fell sleep right after she left, and again began to dream. He was dirty and sore and his ankle felt as if it were severely sprained. Scully was in his arms, bleeding to death slowly from a bullet wound in her stomach. Dour voices floated around him as he felt her slipping away.  
  
"It's the slowest and most painful way to die…"  
  
"It doesn't look good at all…"  
  
"There's just too much damage…"  
  
"Mr. Mulder? I'm sorry…"  
  
"We lost her."  
  
Just like that. We lost her. We. Lost. Her. She's gone. Sorry, buddy, better luck next time. Game over for now.   
Reload. It's over. We lost her. You lost her.  
  
"No!" He sat up straight again, grabbing for his gun and holding it up in front of his mouth. Sure death. It was pure insanity. But if Scully were dead, what did he have to live for?  
  
No. His subconscious berated him. It was just a nightmare. Scully's alive. But you'd better get to her before you do something stupid. Again.  
  
The gun still glistening invitingly, though, and he was having a hard time putting it down. Who would miss him, anyway?  
  
No! His subconscious yelled at him. You're suicidal, not thinking straight. Get out of here. Get some help.  
  
Get Scully.  
  
With a giant burst of willpower, he dropped the gun and raced out the door. The last thing he saw on the way to his car was the truck bearing down on him. Then there was heat, intense heat, and at last merciful darkness.  
  
  
***  
October 22, 2000  
Bethesda Memorial Hospital  
11:00 PM  
  
"Mulder. Mulder, it's me. Can you hear me?"  
  
"Damn." He groaned, opening first one eye, then the other. "Who super-glued my eyelids?" He knew he was in a hospital; he could smell it. But something was wrong. "Scully?"  
  
"Yeah?" her voice came from somewhere on his left and he spun his head around, only to stare blankly at her.   
  
"Mulder, what's wrong?"  
  
"I can't see you. I can't—I can't see, Scully, what happened?"  
  
She was just thankful they were alone and he, if he was serious, couldn't see her tears. Half of her wanted him to crack a wise-ass smile and proclaim he was joking. The smile didn't come. Neither did the proclamation.  
  
"There was an accident. You—you were hit by a truck and suffered a massive concussion. The blindness must be a result of that."  
  
"Must be?" Mulder began to really panic. Scully was supposed to be the rock, the strong one. If she didn't know for sure what was going on, who would?   
  
"I'm sure it's only temporary, Mulder."  
  
"Scully…" his composure slipped for a moment as he reached wildly for her hand until he found it. Tugging at her arm until he could feel her standing right by him, he begged. "Take me home."  
  
"Mulder…"  
  
"Please. I need you to get me out of here." He squeezed her hand even tighter, pleading with his sightless eyes. Scully saw his gaze and followed it to her chest, then caught her breath. If Mulder was looking there and not making a crack of some sort, he definitely couldn't see. This was not good at all. Scully wiped her eyes quickly with her free hand and tried to steady her voice.  
  
"Ok. Fine. I'll be right back." A few minutes later, he heard two people walking toward him and turned his head wildly. It could be anyone.  
  
"Scully?" he asked frantically, then berated himself mentally for showing weakness. Smokey and the gang would be laughing their heads off if it was them.   
  
"I'm right here, Mulder." She assured him. He heard the squeaky wheels of a wheelchair running across the linoleum and gagged. He hated those things. Then the doctor was trying to pull him out of bed, into his seat. He yanked his hand away, but knew he couldn't do it himself.  
  
"Mulder." Scully slid her hand into his and pulled him to his feet. "I won't let you fall. Trust me?"  
  
"Always." Scully walked him two steps, turned him around, and started to sit him down. "Whoa." He reached down and felt air. Was it there?  
  
"Trust me, Mulder." She said softly, and he calmed down. Scully wouldn't let him get hurt. He sat down and felt her hand trail up his arm and over his shoulder reassuringly. She and the doctor exchanged some medical mumblings, and Scully started wheeling him to an elevator. Mulder reached back to take her hand and clasped it softly. She bit her lip. He was going to be ok. He had to be.  
  
A gust of cold wind attacked them as the doors opened to a parking garage. He heard the car alarm chirp and felt Scully moving around to stand in front of him and open the door.  
  
"Come on, Mulder." She took his arm and he got in the car. An orderly came and took the wheelchair back and Scully got in. "Does this mean I get to drive?"  
  
"Oh, all right." He pretended to concede defeat. She smiled faintly and started the car.  
  
The ride to Mulder's apartment was silent. Mulder was wishing for his vision back, so he could see Scully again. He remembered what she'd looked like after he kissed her in the hospital at the beginning of the year: slightly flushed, an almost divine light radiating out from under her skin. That had been one of the only times she hadn't stiffened or shied away when he draped an arm over her shoulder; no, she'd actually leaned into it a little, if memory served him. And boy, did it. He remembered falling through that woman's kitchen floor to encounter Henry Weems in Chicago. Ha. The look on her face earlier, when his 'hey, nice outfit!' caught her off-guard! And then the smile, that teasing smile when she played with his tie, telling him he would have to change his clothes before they left. It was almost as if she were flirting with him… nah. Then the magic trick. He pulled a quarter out of her nose. And then later, he still wondered how she'd done that rotating arm trick. He'd tried it at home later, and nearly gotten it twisted permanently. Now he envisioned the look she would've had if he actually did do it. Then his gentle smile relaxed a little as he thought of what happened then. Samantha's diary. He had been despairing, having read his little sister's diary (although not in the circumstances he would've like to (let's face it, it didn't involve threats of death by horrifying circumstances (though you couldn't really say there were many horrifying circumstances he hadn't seen yet (unless you count the ones only little sisters can inflict upon you (such as dumping nail polish in your hair while you sleep (which, incidentally, actually had happened to him once, and he was still deeply scarred (but what his little neighbor was doing in his apartment with his mother's pink nail polish had yet to be discovered (maybe aliens abducted him and put him there, but anyway… (Mulder realized he'd gotten off track and went on to what had happened after Samantha's diary (which turned out to be the first person shooter game.)))))))))) Oh, Scully. All decked out in battle gear, headed in to save his sorry ass. That's entertainment. Oh, he remembered all this, yes, but he wanted to continue to see it. Forever.  
  
If she would put up with him forever.   
  
Scully was trying not to think, and failing miserably. She had her own memories to shuffle through. She too remembered: Mulder, lying unconscious in the hospital while she told him about Africa. She still blamed herself for letting him go so far gone without being there for him. She was still a little sore that Diana Fowley had been the one who ultimately saved him, but then she shook her head quickly. That kind of thinking wouldn't get her anywhere. Then she turned to happier thoughts. Mulder leaning in to kiss her in the hospital after they rang in the New Millennium together. Never mind that it wasn't 2001 yet. Maybe there'd be another kiss in it for them. Definitely one her happiest memories. Huh. The ridiculous expression on his face when he fell through that woman's floor. 'Yeah, it's all right, my ass broke the fall!' How did she keep from laughing when he did that? She still didn't know. Her eyes watered, and she blinked quickly. Getting to hold him in his apartment after telling him the news of the autopsy on his mother. She'd hated to do that, but once she convinced him that she wasn't leaving him, he'd calmed down. Wonder what Skinner thought when he answered the door the next morning. Ah, forget him. Half the Bureau thinks we're sleeping together anyway. Oh, God. When he was narrating to that damn camera crew. How the hell were you supposed to get any work done with those morons hanging around behind you every two seconds? FPS, going into battle to save the Lone Gunmen. She twisted her mouth into a wry grin. First Person Shooter. Girl power.  
  
Scully elected to take them to Mulder's apartment, thinking he'd be better off there; at least then he'd sort of know his way around the place. Maybe then he'd manage to not mortally wound himself today. When they reached the building, she got out—only to stare as her blind partner got out on his own and made his way up the stairs. As she followed, she heard him mumbling something under his breath.  
  
"Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen…" he stopped in front of the elevator and felt the wall until he found the call button. "I used to count the number of steps it took me to get places." He said, almost to himself. "Guess it's come in handy."  
  
"Guess so." The doors opened and Scully almost stepped forward, expecting Mulder's hand to palm the small of her back. But with bitter realization, she understood that might never happen again. She took his hand and led him in.  
  
When they got into his apartment, Scully took his jacket and hung it with hers. She could hear Mulder stumbling to the couch. Biting her lip, she joined him.  
  
"What happened, Mulder?" she asked gently. "Can you remember?"  
  
He sighed. Confession time. "Right after you left last night—was it last night?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well, right after you left, I, uh…" he stared down at where his hands would be, fiddling with a button on his shirt. Then he closed his eyes, needing the security of knowing he wasn't seeing because he chose not to. "I had another nightmare. It scared the hell out of me, Scully, and when I woke up I was suicidal." He heard her suck in a breath and went on. "I had practically ate my gun before I realized what I was doing and went for help. And I just didn't pay attention to where I was going. I just… had to get away from that gun. I kept thinking 'why bother?', you know, and wondering if anyone would miss me."  
  
"Don't you know I would?" her voice sounded strangely choked.  
  
"But you weren't there. I had gotten you killed, Scully, and—" his hand held the side of her face, finding it completely by reflex. He was stunned to find it wet and slightly sticky. "Scully…" he breathed sorrowfully. "See, that's just it. I keep hurting you."  
  
"Hurting me?" she whispered. "I'm so sorry, Mulder, I just wish you were ok."  
  
"Hey, shared sorrow, Scully. We'll be ok." He hesitated, then removed his hand. "Is it late? I'm tired."  
  
"It's almost midnight."  
  
"Ok. Let me lay down." He felt her get up and stretched himself along the back of the couch. "Come here, Scully." He sensed her hesitation. "Look, there's not really anywhere else for you to sleep right now; remember, my waterbed sprung a leak? I had to get rid of it."  
  
"I'll sleep on the floor, Mulder. I don't enjoy falling off couches in the middle of the night."  
  
"Aw, come on, Scully. I'd catch you."  
  
That's what I'm afraid of. She thought to herself dryly. "No thanks, Mulder. I'll sleep on the floor."   
  
At first Mulder wanted to protest, but he'd learned long ago that only an extreme effort could change Scully's mind, and he didn't really think he was up to it. Maybe tomorrow.   
  
As the previous night, Mulder fell asleep right away. Scully wandered into his bedroom and found a pillow. The room was large, but there was an empty space in the middle. She shook off a sudden feeling of déjà vu. There used to be something there. She'd seen it before. What was it?  
  
"Waterbed." She mumbled. "Geez." She carried the pillow back into the living room and set it on the floor. Once she moved the coffee table over, there was plenty of room for her to lie down right next to the length of the couch. She listened carefully, but the only sound was her partner's steady breathing. Confident in knowing he was ok, she fell asleep.  
  
  
***  
October 23, 2000  
Apartment of Fox Mulder  
8:00 AM  
  
The next morning, Scully was awakened by a sharp knock at the door. She pulled herself up and ran a hand through her hair quickly. I t was Skinner, and he did not look happy. She sighed wearily and opened the door.  
  
"Agent Scully? What are you doing here?" he demanded.  
  
"You weren't told?" she thought hard. Hadn't the hospital called him?  
  
"Scully?" Mulder called from the couch. She bit her lip and closed her eyes. His vision wasn't back if he had to call to see where she was.   
  
"I'm in here, Mulder. By the door."  
  
"Someone here?" he got up, but Scully's pillow was still on the floor and he tripped. She was there to catch him before he hit the ground.  
  
"Oh! Sorry, Mulder…"  
  
Skinner stared as his rebel agent clung to Scully's arm and allowed her to lead him to a chair, where he sat and stared blankly at a wall.  
  
"Who's here?" Mulder asked again.  
  
"Skinner." Her soft voice replied.  
  
"Shit."  
  
"Agent Scully, what the hell is going on?"  
  
"He can't see, sir." She said, standing up from her kneeling position in front of her partner. She faced her boss. "He's blind."  
  
Skinner didn't leave for another half-hour. By then, Mulder was lying face down on the couch and Scully was sitting on the edge near him. He groaned faintly as he tried to sit up.  
  
"Whoa, Mulder." Scully put a hand on his back. "God, you're so tense. Come on, just relax." She put her other hand near his shoulders and hesitated before beginning to massage the tension away. Slowly he began to relax as she eased away the tension. Heat radiated off his back and warmed her hands.  
  
Stop it, stop it, and stop it right now. Scully thought frantically. She was almost relieved when Mulder spoke and saved her from herself—at least until she heard what he had to say.   
  
"Scully? This is temporary, right?" he asked softly. It was the first sign of fear he'd shown her since all this started.  
  
"It is, Mulder. It has to be." Scully stopped and stretched. "How does lunch sound?"  
  
"It would sound great if I had something other than Spaghetti-O's in my kitchen."   
  
Scully smiled. "I could go get something…" but she faltered.  
  
"Yeah, and I'll take a shower."  
  
"Mulder…"  
  
"I'll be fine, Scully. If you could just put some clothes and a towel in there for me?…"  
  
"Sure." She let out a long breath. "Ok, but I won't be gone long, so if you run into any trouble, I'll be right back."  
  
"Yeah, Scully, you're just dying to help me out in the shower, aren't you?" he leered at the wall. Scully laughed softly, knowing all too well what he'd look like if he were looking at her.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Mulder stepped out of the shower and looked at the clothes Scully had left for him. He rejoiced in the fact that she'd left his favorite pair of jeans, then started. How did he know those were his favorite jeans?  
  
Because he could see them. He dressed in record time, then grabbed his cell phone and cursed when he couldn't get the connection.  
  
"Come on, come on, please." He tried again, dialing manually. Mulder almost did a happy dance when it went through, then prayed she had her phone with her.  
  
"Scully." She did.  
  
"Scully. I can see." He gasped.  
  
"I'm on my way." She hung up and sped the last few blocks to his apartment. She hoped to God it was for good; Mulder didn't deserve this.  
  
Why did everyone she loved get hurt? And once again she had an epiphany: the same one she'd had many times before. She was in love with Mulder. She didn't know when it happened, she didn't know how it happened… but it happened. But she knew she could not give in. There were rules. And besides, the X-Files didn't exactly afford either of them much free time. Imagine if they got married. They'd be chasing a suspect, each wondering if the other had left the oven on. No, this was definitely a bad idea. But even if Mulder could never know, she still loved him. And Scully knew she would do anything for him.  
  
She would die for him.  
  
She ran a red light.  
  
When she walked in the door, she shut it behind herself quietly. Then she looked toward Mulder's living room and was treated to a sight she really didn't want to see.  
  
Mulder was sitting in the chair, breathing rapidly, visibly straining to see. She'd been afraid of that. His vision was going again.  
  
'Damn it.' He thought fiercely. He had to go and get Scully's hopes up, didn't he? Now what was he going to do? Scully watched as he finally let his shoulders sag and closed his eyes.  
  
"Mulder?" She asked softly. If she startled him, he didn't show it.  
  
"It's gone, Scully."  
  
"Oh, Mulder…"  
  
He got up and tried to tell where her voice was coming from. But as he stepped forward, he tripped over something. Then Scully's hand was wrapped around his arm, supporting him, leading him to the couch. "This way. Come on." She sat him down gently and took a seat next to him.  
  
"What am I supposed to do now, Scully?" He leaned back and rubbed his thumb along the back of her hand. "What if this is permanent?"  
  
"We'll figure something out." The intended use of the word 'we' wasn't lost on either of them.  
  
Scully slept on the floor again that night.  
  
  
***  
October 24, 2000  
Apartment of Fox Mulder  
10:13 AM  
  
"Mulder, I have to go somewhere today. I promised my niece I'd help her at her school choir practice. They've got a big concert coming up and I can't back out." The hell she couldn't. If Mulder even hinted that he might have needed her, she'd have dropped her previous engagements in seconds. She could've had a meeting with the president, and politics be damned. But it was time for some tough love; she had to start him off on his own. And it was killing her. If she thought this was best for him, she had to do it. "Will you be ok on your own?" Last chance, Mulder. If you say you're all right, I'm leaving and letting you prove it.  
  
But he nodded. "Sure."  
  
"And I'll take my cell phone if you need me; I'm sure you know where the speed dial button is by heart now, right?" Another nod. She had to get going. "Ok. All right." She got up. "I'll be at St. Catherine's, then. Be careful, Mulder. I'll be back as soon as I can." Well, she could give herself that much, at least.  
  
And she was gone.  
  
A half-hour later, Mulder was going insane. Finally, he did something he swore he'd never do. He called the Lone Gunmen for a ride. After carefully navigating the number pad with his fingers, he got their headquarters.  
  
"Frohike, it's me. Turn the tape off."  
  
A few minutes later, their 70's style van pulled up and Byers came to the door to lead him down to it. Once they found the school, Langly escorted him to the main office and they split. Suspicious of an elementary school. A Catholic elementary school. He loved those guys.  
  
"Is Dana Scully here?" He asked, hoping there was someone in the room. A woman answered, elderly by the sound of her voice.  
  
"Ms. Scully? Oh, yes, she's here for the choir. Come with me. She's in the chapel; they wanted to keep the first part of the performance a surprise." Mulder heard the secretary walking away and started to panic.  
  
"Excuse me? Ma'am?" He grabbed at the counter. "Hello?"  
  
"Mulder? What the hell--damn. I mean--" she gave the woman a look of apology. "Sorry. Mulder, what are you doing here?"  
  
"Scully?" He turned around. "Where are you?"  
  
"Turn to your right. Here." She took his arm and pulled him gently through the door. Scully walked through the halls slowly, always holding Mulder's hand while he trustingly went along. "How did you get here, Mulder?"  
  
"Gunmen gave me a ride. I just had to get out of there."  
  
"Another nightmare?"  
  
"Yeah. Boredom." She smiled slightly. "I wish I could see you, Scully." He said quietly. "I'd have some reassurance that the world hasn't ended or something."  
  
"No, it's still here. I'm still here."  
  
"Will you be? I mean, now that I'm blind..." he stumbled over the word. "I can't work on the X-Files anymore, so what's to stop you from leaving? Getting a promotion? You could walk off into the sunset and live happily ever after." 'Say yes, Scully. Say yes and let me have the peace of mind that you're ok now, that I'm not ruining your life anymore...'  
  
"No." She stopped walking and faced him. "Mulder, I could never leave you. Don't you know that? I never would've left you."  
  
'Damn.' But then a faint haze appeared at the edges of Mulder's vision as she spoke. Thinks began to take shape.  
"I mean, as long as we've worked together, I'm as close to you blind as I was when you could see. I meant what I said when I said we'd get through this together. I haven't changed my mind. And I never will. Ok?"  
  
"Scully."  
  
"Yeah?" There was something in his voice; something urgent. "What is it, Mulder?"  
  
"I can see." He looked down at his partner joyfully as the last bits of smoke disappeared from the edges of his vision. Her eyes seemed to fill with tears, but she quickly blinked them back. She squeezed his hand and smiled up at him.  
  
"Well, let's get you checked out."  
  
  
***  
  
October 24, 2000  
  
Apartment of Fox Mulder  
  
10:13 AM  
  
  
A week later, Scully was back at Saint Catherine's program helping her niece's class. Mulder's vision was finally returned and all was back to normal. Except Mulder's sudden urge to tell Scully how much he loved her. He felt different now. In fact, he would even go so far as to say if he felt free after realizing Samantha was at peace, he was even more so now. That's how liberated he was.  
  
He went once more to St. Catherine's, where Scully had again been banished to the chapel. He received directions from the secretary (who apologized profusely for not having realized he had been blind) and went straight there, only stopping when he came to hear a button pushed and a piano fill his ears. Mulder had never been one for classical music, but when it came to his partner, the only thing he could think was that classical music was slow music, and slow music led to slow dancing. He licked his lips nervously. Here goes.  
  
He stepped around the corner and wasn't the least bit surprised to see his partner standing with her back to him, studying a piece of sheet music. Briefly he wondered exactly what Scully was doing to help with the program, then amended that there would be plenty of time later to ask stupid, meaningless questions. He really didn't care what she was doing there. She was there, and that was all that mattered. The piano still played in the background softly.  
  
"Care to dance, Agent Scully?" He asked lowly, and she unknowingly mirrored Mulder's previously act, wetting her lips. The paper floated down to the pew she was standing in front of. Mulder approached her slowly and ran a hand up her arm, up her neck 'til it felt her face. Scully, still turned away from him, shivered at the intimate touch and allowed him to spin her around and hold her loosely in his arms. She started to look at the floor, but Mulder's hand caught her chin and lifted her gaze to his eyes.  
  
"Does this remind anyone else of another position we've found ourselves in?" He questioned huskily as her hands started to rise to his neck.  
  
"Were you wearing a baseball cap in this previous position?" she returned, startled at the gravelly tone in her voice.  
  
"I might've been."  
  
"Did I do this in this previous position?" She kissed his forehead softly, but didn't linger, then ran her hands down his face until her fingers grazed his lips. "Or this?"  
  
"You might've. Were you thinking about kissing me then?"  
  
Her eyes flashed for a second. "Am I now?"  
  
Mulder breathed out quickly. "Yes. Now the question is this: are you going to?"  
  
"No." She let her hands drop and Mulder released her face. Scully wished he would step away, and give her some space so her hormones wouldn't completely shut down all her Scully-zations that she had stocked up for this very situation. This could not happen. Oh, but he was standing right there... No, Scully. Be strong. He didn't move. "No, I'm not." She licked her lips again. Damn this man for driving her to a nervous habit that wasn't going to help at all when the weather got cold. She mentally added Chapstick to her shopping list, then cursed herself for thinking about that in this setting. "Mulder, you know we can't do this. We have the X-Files to think about, the guidelines..."  
  
"Screw the guidelines."  
  
"Skinner..."  
  
"Screw him too."  
  
"The Smoking Man..."  
  
"Oh, definitely screw him."  
  
"He could kill us both, Mulder."  
  
"He hasn't yet. And I don't think--"  
  
"But that's just it. We think. We think and we rationalize and we dodge every potentially dangerous situation that comes our way when it comes to our feelings. And--and I can't help but wonder if we should just follow our instincts."  
  
"Follow? God, Scully, trying not to fall in love with you all this time has been against my instincts. Because it's too late. I'm already in love with you, and I can't rationalize that away." His eyes begged, pleaded with her to understand, but she closed her eyes and couldn't look at him. A small tear rolled down her face and Mulder closed his eyes as well, acknowledging the pain. He pulled her into his arms and one tear soaked into his shirt, but no more followed. Scully sighed into his shoulder and let him hold her.  
  
"But I said--oh! I'm sorry, I..." a young woman walked in. Scully stepped away from her partner quickly, but felt as if she'd just torn off her arm. She turned away from the music teacher. "Dana, are you all right?"  
  
"Yeah." Scully pretended she had something in her eye, wiping away the residue from her tears. She picked up the paper she'd been studying. "I'm fine." She started to leave.  
  
"Scully." She stopped but didn't turn. "There's a case file at my apartment. I need you to look at it with me."  
  
"I'll be there later." She said, and left him there. Good old Scully. Always the professional. If only that case file existed.  
  
"Thou... shalt... not... bear false witness against thy neighbor!" Came a singsong voice loudly. Mulder spun around and saw an old priest come out from behind a curtain. The agent groaned. He wasn't going to have to sit through some kind of confession now, was he?  
  
"Who are you, now?"  
  
"What, can't a priest hang out in his own chapel?" The man started toward a pew, but banged his toe on the altar. "Ow... curses!" He muttered, hopping on one foot the rest of the way. "I don't know what it is about this place, but people are always in here, making out during recess and whatnot. And always the chapel! When I was their age, it was the custodian's closet." He stuck his nose in the air and flapped his robes about him before sitting primly in his chair. "I mean, I guess I should bust 'em all, but it's so cute, with their blushing and me yelling..." he jumped out of his chair and threw his arms out to the sides, yelling in a thunderous voice. "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!"  
  
Mulder shifted his weight. "I don't believe in God."  
  
"And I don't believe in aliens. But here we are."  
  
"How do you know I believe in aliens?"  
  
The priest widened his eyes and put a finger to his mouth, then rolled his eyes upwards and pointed to the ceiling. Then he giggled and plopped himself down in his chair again. "Park it, sonny."  
  
Mulder found himself in one of the pews, assuming 'bench warmer' position: back hunched forward, forearms on knees, hands folded in front of him.  
  
"What did you call me?"  
  
"I called you sonny. What's it to ya?"  
  
The agent scoffed. "Somehow, sir, I don't think I'm considered a 'sonny' anymore."  
  
"Son, when you get to be 88 years old, everyone under 70 is a baby. Now come here, kid, I wanna show you something." He jumped up and practically skipped behind the curtain. When Mulder was too long in coming, he poked his head back out. "Hey. Kid. C'mon. I don't have all day."  
  
"Yeah, yeah..." Mulder hauled himself to his feet and lifted a corner of the curtain to join the old priest. Inside was a tripod with a camera set up to film through a hole in the fabric. A small TV and VCR stood in the corner. "What is this?"  
  
"Blackmail." The priest cackled cheerfully.  
  
"Meaning?"  
  
"I told you kids keep coming in here. I could prove it too, but I promised I wouldn't." he hopped over to the camera and pressed stop, then ejected the tape.  
  
"Blackmail for what?"  
  
The priest snorted. "Look at those windows, kid." He grabbed a tasseled rope, swung back and forth a few times for show, heaved upward, and yanked down. The curtain swung open and the priest jumped, throwing out an arm toward the windows. "Ta-da!"  
  
Mulder stared. This guy was unreal. He was straight out of a Disney movie.  
  
He was waiting.  
  
"There's uh... glass?"  
  
"An astute observation." He let the curtain fall. "What do you say when God sneezes?"  
  
"Bl--oh."  
  
"I'm not running a big operation here, sonny. I catch them, they clean, I keep their secrets. They get the tapes after they graduate. But you see the first answer isn't always the final one. She might change her mind."  
  
How'd this conversation get to be about him and Scully?  
  
"What--"  
  
"Oops! Sorry, kid, time for me to go. Got a softball game."  
  
"W--wait, one question." Mulder paused. "Are you always like this?"  
  
"You mean, do I stand on my head when I say the Lord's prayer?" he grinned. "Only on Christmas." With that, he jumped, clicked his heels in the air, and ducked through the curtain. Mulder didn't hesitate to run after him, pushing through the heavy drapes.  
  
"Hey--" the chapel was empty. Mulder sprinted to the door, looked down the hall, didn't see anyone. He checked his watch and groaned. He had to get back to his apartment before Scully did.  
  
  
***  
  
Apartment of Fox Mulder  
  
4:00 PM  
  
  
Scully hesitated before entering Mulder's apartment building. There was going to be some talking now. She doubted this case file existed outside her partner's 'beautiful mind', to quote herself. He'd forced her to be the strong one in the chapel, but if she broke down in his apartment, his ever-elusive fish were their only hope of being saved.  
  
Problem was, she didn't want to be saved, which weakened her emotional immune system. And that scared her, because the only inoculation she could think of was Mulder. Only thing wrong with that was that her cure could eventually kill them both. She could be going to her death.   
  
That didn't stop her.  
  
Scully drew in a resolute breath and pulled open the door to the lobby. Her footsteps echoed through the open area as she walked toward the elevator. Sagging back against the rail, once inside, she closed her eyes and let that same resolute breath out. Then she looked in the mirror and started, slamming her fist on the emergency stop button.  
  
Was this her?  
  
She examined herself critically, starting at the bottom. Boots with rather high heels, but sturdy enough for her to run in covered mostly with black pants. Silk black pullover, black jacket... her mind drifted to Chicago. 'Hey, nice outfit!' Mulder.  
  
Scully looked again at herself and saw only the soulful blue eyes of a woman in love. Damn. She was in big trouble.  
  
Did she always have that look? Had she given away her darkest secret long ago? She contemplated this and let the elevator continue its journey upward.   
  
She knew she must have gotten that expression in her eyes at least a few times around Mulder in the past seven years--but had he noticed?  
  
Ding.  
  
Little late to be thinking about it now, doncha think? But turning back was not an option. She'd told him she was coming and dammit...  
  
Scully knocked on the door.  
  
"It's open!" Came from within.  
  
"Guess I don't have to say 'Mulder, it's me.'" She muttered, and pushed the door open.  
  
Mulder was lying on the couch, looking at the ceiling, arms folded under his head. They had fallen asleep a long while ago, but he didn't particularly care. Now, though, when Scully was here, he wanted to have control over himself, and if his arms were numb with pins and needles, he might not be able to catch her if she tried to run. Shit. She might run. But he had to tell her.  
  
"I don't have a file here, Scully."  
  
"I know."  
  
She knows and she came. Good sign, right? He stood and faced her, three feet away. Scully came forward slowly, stood directly in front of him, reached up to touch his face...  
  
And peeled off a post-it that read 'Hi Foxie, call me.' She raised an eyebrow and held it up. Mulder snatched it, crumpled it, and threw it at the garbage. Ask me if I'm humiliated.  
  
"Damn neighbor. Say 'hi' to the girl and you're stuck with her for life." He turned back to his partner. "What do you say when God sneezes, Scully?"  
  
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"  
  
"It's relevant."  
  
"To what?"  
  
"Would you just answer the question, Scully? What do you say when God sneezes?"  
  
"Bless--" she stopped herself. Damn you, Mulder, this is not time for jokes. But he wasn't joking. He stepped even closer.  
  
"You want to stay with that answer, Scully?" his voice was husky. "Sometimes the first answer isn't the right one."  
  
"Oh, Mulder..." she shook her head and looked at his feet. "I told you."  
  
"You, Scully, focussed on nothing but the negative. I think if you'd let this happen, you might surprise yourself."  
  
"We can't, Mulder." Her voice was choked. "Please. Think of Samantha--" her eyes widened. "Is that what brought this on?"  
  
"Nothing brought it on, Scully. It had to happen sooner or later, or I would wind up going insane--more insane." He corrected himself wryly, but grew serious again. "I couldn't stand it any longer. Why can't you just--"  
  
"Damn it, Mulder." She said tiredly. "What do you want me to say? Do you want me to give you more rationalizations? More explanations why we can't let this happen? I've given you all of them, and if that's not enough to convince you, I don't know what to do." Her voice broke, but she went on, daring the tears to fall. "I'm in love with you, Mulder, you think this is easy for me?"  
  
Mulder saw the expression in her eyes turn to shock as she realized what she'd given up. Scully turned around and almost ran out the door. Wordlessly he chased her, catching her near the exit. He grabbed her wrist, and time seemed to stop.  
  
She looked back at him, met his dark-eyed stare. They moved together as if it had been scripted, a seductive slow dance that was known only to them. In one fluid movement, she was in his arms, face buried in his chest. They stayed there for a few minutes, Mulder's arms around her back, Scully's arms around his neck. They unconsciously understood the significance of this embrace; it was as close as they'd ever let each other get ever before, even precluding the near-kiss so long ago before Mulder's little excursion to Antarctica.  
  
"You think you could let go now?" he whispered. Her arms loosened and she moved back until only her hands rested at the back of his neck. He stopped her. "That's not what I meant."  
  
"I know." Her tone matched his.  
  
Slowly his head came down toward hers and their lips fused for just a few seconds. Mulder eased himself away slowly and she nearly whimpered at the loss. He gazed at her in wonder, amazed that something so simple could produce such an effect.  
  
"God, Scully..." he gasped, and her grip on his neck tightened and she pulled him down, kissing him forcefully.  
  
'Sunflower seeds.' She thought dimly. 'Why am I not surprised?' Mulder's hands had moved up to her head, cradling it so his mouth could slant over hers. His fingers wove a blazing trail through her hair, enflaming her through every fiber of her being. A jolt of electricity sparked and shocked her, then a squirming mass uncoiled in her stomach and warmed her body. She was losing control.  
  
Mulder felt around cautiously with his tongue and groaned faintly when she responded. Ice queen indeed. Those bastards didn't know what they were talking about. He'd never dared to dream this might actually happen someday, but here they were. He was still afraid he'd screw it up, one way or another, but his body was moving way too fast for his liking. He was losing control.  
  
Scully felt the wood of the wall at her back as she was backed up against it. Mulder wasn't stopping; hell, she didn't particularly want him to, but the air was growing stale in both of their mouths. She put a hand on his chest and tried to push, but couldn't get her muscles to obey her brain's signals. Finally, he stopped of his own accord, albeit reluctantly. He cleared his throat and stepped back a little, giving them both some room to breathe freely.  
  
"God, Mulder..." she looked at the floor.  
  
"What? Scully..." he started to move in, panicking. Was she trying to break away again? But she held up a hand. Then he noticed her faint smile as she looked up again. "What?"  
  
"No one can know. Especially at the FBI. Skinner, CGB Spender, no one." Mulder nodded.  
  
"Yeah, I know. Even if we have found Sam, I don't want to lose the X-Files, and I know you don't either." She nodded silently. "So... I give you my frat pin now?"  
  
Scully looked down again, looked up. Now she was almost laughing.   
  
"Can this be happening?" He understood.  
  
"Hey. Shared joy, Scully. We'll be ok."  
  
  
End Part I/?? 


	2. Principals II

Principals II  
  
Archive: Yes, please! Anywhere! If you could just let me know... I'd like to visit.  
  
Spoilers: Oh, Lord, where to begin? Better beware of absolutely everything that's ever aired. I'm still working.  
  
Rating: Ah, maybe a *slight* R for language.  
  
Classification: MSR. Duh.  
  
Summary: Just read it, *please*? I promise it gets pretty good. IMHO.  
  
Disclaimer: They're not mine. That short enough?  
  
Feedback: Does my cat jump on the refrigerater and knock my clock to the floor every two minutes? That's a yes, in case you're wondering. Flames will be used to burn out the horrible kareoke singers at the next dance I go to...  
  
Principals II  
  
November 2, 2000  
FBI Headquarters  
Washington, DC  
9:00 AM  
  
"Sir? You wanted to see us?" Scully's outer demeanor was stoic as always, but inside she was trembling. This was their first meeting with Skinner since their relationship had evolved, and suddenly she thought he could read her mind.  
  
And that would not be good, because since the kiss two nights ago, that was all she could think of.  
  
Mulder was having a harder time keeping his cool.   
  
"You have a case for us?" His knee was bouncing repeatedly, sending Skinner into a trance. She watched her boss shake himself and glare at Mulder, who took the hint meekly.  
  
"Multiple abductions." He handed Mulder the folder. "I know it's not an X-File, but…" his shoulders sagged just a little. "Halloween was just last week, and Christmas is starting up, so absolutely everybody in the VCS has some kind of theft or fraud or kidnapping to deal with. 'Tis the season." His hand was trembling as he reached for his glasses. The pallor in his face was disturbing.  
  
"Sir, are you all right?"  
  
"I'm fine, Agent Scully."  
  
"Sorry, sir, that's my line. You need to lie down."  
  
"You're dismissed, Agents." He rose.  
  
"Sir!"  
  
"You're dismissed!" Skinner reached for the desk to steady himself, then swayed slightly. Before either agent could react, he slumped to the floor, unconscious. Scully was on the ground by his side in no time.  
  
"His pulse is faint. Mulder, call 911, he's not breathing." As he rushed the phone, she began pumping his chest and pinched his nose shut, lowering her mouth to his. Mulder watched as she did this twice more before he began to breathe on his own again.  
  
Soon the medics came in and whisked him away. Scully sagged against the desks, exhausted, as the room emptied. Once everyone was gone except her and Mulder, he went to her. The door closed and she could finally let out the breath she'd been holding.  
  
"You ok, Scully?" he asked softly. She started to nod, then paused and shook her head. She walked over to a picture on the wall, as if speaking to a dead Director would be easier. It would.  
  
"No." and for the first time, she told the truth about her feelings. "That scared me, Mulder. Have you ever thought of what might happen if Skinner died? Or resigned?" she bit her lip and looked at his reflection. "That's not even it. I guess—Skinner's been like a father to me. He's alternately helped us out and kicked our asses whenever it was needed. And I guess I never thought about what would happen if he were gone."  
  
Scully felt, rather than saw, Mulder come up from behind her and wrap his arms around her waist. She sighed and leaned back against him, relishing the feeling of his arms as he kissed the top of her head. But suddenly they remembered where they were and slid apart.  
  
"Did you look at this yet?" Scully picked up the file and it was business as usual once again.  
  
  
***  
November 3, 2000  
Bethesda National Hospital  
1:00 PM  
  
Skinner heard them coming from his bed and grimaced.  
  
"Mulder, that is insane!" Scully stared at her partner in the hallway. Seven people had disappeared from a local tennis club, and of course Mulder thought it was the work of aliens. "Even if there were 'little gray men', what would they want with a bunch of tennis players?"  
  
"To learn the game?"  
  
Skinner could practically hear the look she gave him. Then they came in.  
  
"Sir? How're you feeling?" Scully sat next to his bed and Mulder handed her the chart.  
  
"I'm fine, doc." He scowled at her. He hated being in the hospital—and there didn't feel like there was anything wrong with him! "I'm just a little bit al—"  
  
"Allergic to sulfur?" She finished for him. "Why were you on medication in the first place?"  
  
"Nothing, just… small infection that's gone now." Scully nodded. "They told me what you did, Agent. You saved my life, I'm grateful."  
  
Scully smiled gently. "Anytime, sir."  
  
Mulder watched his partner speak softly to their boss, watched the sunlight filter down in her hair, saw her turn toward him and see his stare. Her breath caught and she cursed Mulder for having such an effect on her. Then she rose slowly and turned toward him, her eyes a deep purple. This was a dangerous game they were playing. She came up to him, put a hand on his arm, and spoke.  
  
"We should get going."  
  
Mulder almost choked. How could her voice be that low? Then he was following her out, down the hallway, into an empty elevator. Scully smiled alluringly at him and pushed the button for lobby. As the doors closed, she walked straight into his arms and kissed him smoothly.  
  
"It'll get easier, Mulder." She assured him softly. "Somehow we'll figure out how to hide it."  
  
"Not gonna be easy."  
  
"Never said it would be."  
  
Mulder gazed at her. "I love you, Scully. You know that, right?"  
  
"It's goes without saying, Mulder. Somehow I've always known."  
  
He didn't know why, but that simple statement warmed Mulder's heart. He squeezed her shoulder as the doors slid open again and they reclaimed their professional distance.  
  
  
***  
Fairview Athletic Club  
Washington, DC  
2:00 PM  
  
It didn't take long to get to the Fairview Athletic club. But after Mulder turned off the car, Scully put a hand on his arm.  
  
"Hold on, Mulder. I have to brief you." He grinned.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'm not Dana here."  
  
"You're never Dana."  
  
"N—no, I mean my name is Katherine Scully at this club. I'm a doctor, not an FBI agent. See, I—I come here a lot after work or on the weekends or whatever and I play a little with someone who needs an opponent. It's a casual thing, just a 'hi, let's play' beforehand and a 'good game, see ya' afterwards." She grinned wryly. "I just thought I should prepare you for all the odd looks we're going to get. They've never seen me in a suit before. And they're going to be suspicious of you. No one comes in there with a suit and tie unless there's something wrong." Mulder nodded silently. She smiled at him, glad he understood. "Ok. Let's go."  
  
They entered the club and started for the registration desk. Scully was greeted by numerous patrons on their way, whom she spoke to as old friends. Many of them caught a glance of Mulder and quickly turned to their little cliques, gossiping. Everyone eyed Scully's clothes apprehensively.  
  
"Kate, hi!" The woman behind the desk greeted her. Scully tried not to grin at her, and would've failed if she hadn't had Mulder right behind her to remind her that this was business.   
  
"Becca. Um, can we have a word with your manager, please?" That's good. Stick to the script. Mulder saw the confusion on Becca's face and correctly assumed that this was not how Scully normally acted here. He wished they didn't have to ruin her cover, but they didn't have a choice.  
  
"I—I guess you could, but he's on his way out. Kate, what's going on?"  
  
"Can you please tell him we need to speak with him immediately? We're with the FBI."  
  
Becca burst out laughing. "Damn, Kate, you had me fooled! I always knew you were a practical joker, but this takes the cake…" she trailed off when she looked up and saw Scully holding up her identification. Mulder's came up next to her. Scully introduced themselves.  
  
"I'm Special Agent Dana Scully, this is Agent Mulder. Could you call the manager?"  
  
"S—sure." She hit the intercom. "Joe, you'd better get out here."  
  
"I'm leaving, Becca!"  
  
"No, Joe, I think you should come out here. Now."  
  
A tall, muscular man walked out from the back. "What?"  
  
"Special Agents Mulder and Scully with the FBI. Sir, may we speak with you in private, please?"  
  
The 'FBI' was all it took to gain his cooperation. He ushered them into his office and slammed the door.   
  
"How can I help you?" He asked, sitting at his desk and folding his hands.  
  
"Seven members of this club were abducted recently: all were 10-12 year old girls, and all were last seen here. All seven kidnappings occurred within five days, the 20th to the 25th of October. If we gave you the names, would you be able to connect them?" Scully got right to it. "We have a list."  
  
"Let's see." He took the paper, then started up his computer. "Ok… well, here you go." He pointed to the screen and Mulder walked around to look over his shoulder. "Those were the only girls registered in our 10-12 tournament this weekend. The only other girl is a 12-year-old, Rachel Cheyene. Her dad's one of them rich guys who don't work and make money anyway, spends a lot of time here. Rachel's a spoiled brat. Daddy buys her everything, and if he hesitates, she screams bloody murder."  
  
"Would daddy buy her a championship?" Mulder asked dryly.   
  
"He might."  
  
"Ok." Scully took the list back. "Is he here now?"   
  
"Yeah, actually. Court 3. But—you know he's in the loop. Suits are gonna make him suspicious."  
  
"That's right." Scully hesitated. "Does he come at any specific time every day?"  
  
"Well, he usually gets here 'bout nine in the morning, always takes Court 3. Switches partners a lot, though. Plays a lot of singles."  
  
"Huh?" Mulder looked from one tennis player to the other.  
  
"Never mind. When does he leave?" Scully asked.  
  
"Oh… right about now, actually. If—if you don't mind my asking, how are you planning on doing this?"  
  
"Ok, here's how I see it. Don't let anyone on Courts 1, 2, 3, or 4 except him. Agent Mulder and I will take Court 2 undercover. From what I know about Cheyene, which is very little considering I only spoke with him once, he's not the type to let people get too close too fast. He is not married—my guess is he's divorced, and recently, because there's a tan line on his left ring finger where his wedding band would've been. And he'll do anything to win, which includes watching and talking to his opponents before playing to find out their weaknesses. That's where we come in." she indicated herself and Mulder. "We'll come in tomorrow and wait for him. It should be clean and simple, we'll just take him on the court so no one's life is endangered if something happens."  
  
"Yeah, that's good. But… who're you gonna play undercover?" Mulder asked.  
  
"W—you. Mulder, what's wrong?" he had a strange grimace on his face.  
  
"My tennis isn't exactly the greatest."  
  
"Well, I'm going to need you for backup, so I don't see that you have a choice in the matter."  
  
Mulder groaned. "All right. We'll be here ½ hour early and stake the place out. Come on, Scully."  
  
"Thank you for your time." They walked out.  
  
  
***   
FBI Headquarters  
Washington, DC  
Weapons Arsenal  
5:00 PM  
  
Mulder led Scully into the far reaches of the room and put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.  
  
"Sit down, Scully." He motioned to a bench along the wall. She sat.  
  
"What is it, Mulder?"  
  
"Josep Cheyene."  
  
"How do you know his first name?" Scully asked, confused.  
  
"I did a profile on him back in '90. You guessed wrong about his marital status. When I did the profile, it was because he was a prime suspect in a case: we believed he'd killed ten people, including his wife. But by the time I convinced those bastards at VICAP my profile was sound, Cheyene was gone. We never found him . I just can't believe he came back here."  
  
"Rachel. Did he have a daughter when you profiled him? If she's 12 now…"  
  
"She's another woman's child. His wife was barren." He saw Scully inwardly cringe, but they both looked beyond it. They couldn't open up that wound right now. "God knows he had enough affairs. We think all the women he killed were his lovers at one time or another."  
  
"God. You think he'll start killing again?"  
  
"I don't know." Mulder rubbed his forehead. "I mean, this has never happened before—at least not that I know of."  
  
Scully reached out and touched his arm briefly. She knew how much he hated being confused.  
  
"We'll figure it out, Mulder." He gave her a half-smile. "Now why are we down here?"  
  
"We need different weapons. If we're playing tennis, our normal ones are gonna be awfully conspicuous."  
  
"Yeah, but what are we supposed to do?"  
  
"Here." He reached up to a shelf and moved a few storage boxes aside until he could reach all the way to the back. "Take this." He gave her a metal box and brushed himself off. "Come on, we'd better go somewhere else.  
  
  
***   
FBI Headquarters  
Washington, DC  
X-Files Department  
5:30 PM  
  
Scully sat at her desk while Mulder found a key and opened the lid of the box. He pulled out an obscure looking object and motioned for her to come over to his desk.   
  
"You wear a skirt when you play tennis, Scully?"  
  
"No, not usually."  
  
"Good. Here, this will go around your leg." He gave her the holster. "And this slides down out of it if you hit the catch."  
  
Scully peered into the box and took the smaller gun, one that she could almost hide in her hands, and expertly fastened it into the metal band.  
  
"T-130 and I are old friends." She said grimly. Mulder watched her turn away and grabbed her arm, spinning her around. His eyes were pure fire, sending out signals clear as day.  
  
Danger. Danger. Danger.  
  
"Mulder, this office is wired." Scully warned him softly. He took the weapon from her hands and set it on his desk. Slowly, deliberately, he took her arm and pulled her along with him.  
  
"Come here, Scully, I want to show you something." Mulder said for the benefit of Whoever was listening. He pulled open the closet door, pushed her in, and nudged the door almost all the way shut.  
  
Scully had barely a second to think before he had her against a wall, cradling her head in his hands, kissing her forcefully. She almost melted into his arms—but then she heard something.   
  
"Mm… Mulder, the elevator." She gasped, trying to break away. He groaned at the loss, but ran out after her, hurrying to his desk.  
  
"Oh, shit!" he grabbed the box and hid it in his desk drawer. Scully slid across the floor and into her seat.  
  
"Mulder!" she hissed, gesturing toward the T-130. He grabbed at it and pulled on the drawer handle. It didn't open. The footsteps were coming closer. "Here!"  
  
He pulled the mag out and tossed the gun at her. She dropped it in the drawer just as Skinner's shadow darkened the doorway.  
  
"Sir? What are you doing out of the hospital?"  
  
"They released me. What are you two doing here? I thought I gave you a case to work on."  
  
"We are working on it." Was Mulder's snide remark. Skinner went to Mulder's desk.   
  
"That looks like the magazine for a T-130." He paused. "Agent Mulder, you are aware these are illegal now, aren't you? If you or Agent Scully got caught with one of these guns, it could take hours on days to resolve."  
  
"Yes, sir." Scully broke in. "That's just there because Mulder was starting to clean his desk and he found it in one of the drawers—probably from when we were allowed to use them."  
  
Skinner nodded. "All right." He turned and left. Mulder looked at Scully.  
  
"Well, that was weird."  
  
"Almost spooky."  
  
He gave her an exaggerated smirk and got up to give her the set of bullets. Standing behind her, he set it down and set a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Not. Here." She growled through clenched teeth, and he nearly jumped.  
  
"Sorry." He mumbled.  
  
"Mulder." She turned and looked at him. "We're going to need to talk about this. We need some rules."  
  
"When to go in and when to stay put?" Mulder asked slyly, making it sound like they were discussing a case. Scully wanted to hug him, but settled for the rare gift of a Smile. Mulder's heart nearly stopped.  
  
"So tomorrow we go get Cheyene?" she asked casually, as if a cataclysmic event hadn't just taken place. Mulder smirked at her.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
  
***   
November 4, 2000  
Fairview Athletic Club  
8:30 AM  
  
Scully strode into the club as if she'd been born frequenting the place, tennis bag casually thrown over her shoulder, hair in autopsy mode, pulled back. She sauntered up to Becca's desk.  
  
"Hey, how are you?" she asked.  
  
"Fine." Was the short answer. Scully flinched, stunned.  
  
"Becca, what's wrong?"  
  
"What's wrong? You're an FBI agent, you figure it out."  
  
"Oh. Look, Becca, I'm sorry. I just—this was where I came to kind of get rid of the tension my job entails. If I told anyone, I'd probably never get a moment's peace. People seem to be under the misguided illusion that being an FBI agent is all glamour, shooting the bad guys and things like that."  
  
"But you lied to us."  
  
"My middle name is Katherine." Scully argued quietly. "I am a doctor."  
  
"You are an FBI agent, Dana. It's one or the other. You can't be both."  
  
"I am a doctor. I graduated med school, but I chose not to practice. I am also an FBI agent. And if you haven't told everyone already, I'd prefer for you to not let it out."  
  
Becca bit her lip.  
  
"Do you bring a gun in here?"  
  
Scully looked her friend in the eye and lied unabashedly. "No."  
  
Mulder walked in a few minutes later to find all forgiven and forgotten. They were talking quietly and Becca laughed at something Scully said—then saw him standing there awkwardly. She nodded toward him and Scully turned.  
  
"Oh, hey." She motioned to her bag. "Let me just drop this in my locker and we'll get started." He nodded. Scully disappeared into the locker room.  
  
As she turned the combination on the lock, she heard two women walk in and turn the corner before the locker complex into the bathroom. Scully went about her business, lacing up her shoes until her heard:  
  
"So did Josep go after you too?"  
  
"Oh, yeah, he came up to me yesterday. He thinks just because his dad never gave him what he wanted when he was a kid, he can have whatever he wants now."  
  
"But I heard he was gay."  
  
"You heard he hated women; I heard the same thing. He does hate women, but he isn't gay. He just loves to break up with them. God only knows what's going on in that head of his."  
  
Scully stopped. Was that it? Mulder had called her this morning; early enough to wake her up and say that Josep Cheyene's mother ran out on him and his father when Josep was twelve years old. Did this spring from that incident so many years ago? Se shook her head quickly. They had to get on the courts now.  
  
  
"Love all, love all." Scully announced the score, about to toss the ball in the air.  
  
"Hey! Stop quoting the Bible and serve, would you?" Mulder faked annoyance. She smiled to herself and served. His return landed two feet outside the line.   
  
"Love—15." She lied. Mulder stood there and looked smug.  
  
  
***   
Fairview Athletic Club  
Court 2  
8:44 AM  
  
Josep Cheyene still hadn't shown up. Scully heaved a sigh and said the score, wondering if he'd ever get there.   
  
"Deuce."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Deuce, Mulder, that's tennis speak for tie. The score is tied."  
  
"You're not beating the crap out of me?"  
  
"Not yet." Scully smirked and served. Mulder swung wildly and missed. She'd been entirely too lenient with the out-of-bounds lines on his part. On the next serve the game was hers. Mulder met her on the way around to switch sides.   
  
"Nice game, Ace." He whispered surreptitiously. "See any suspects yet?"  
  
"Just you." She shot back.  
  
"What's my crime?"  
  
"Horrible playing."  
  
"We were tied!"  
  
Scully tried to keep a straight face.   
  
"Scully!" He protested, but just then two men walked onto the next court.  
  
"Should we be doing this? There's witnesses." The short man asked lowly, his Spanish accent thick and overwhelming. Cheyene answered.  
  
"Keep your pants on. They don't know anything."  
  
Mulder turned Scully's shoulder towards him and acted like he was asking her how to hold the racquet. As she adjusted his grip, she saw Cheyene out of the corner of her eye opening one of the poles the net was tied to and pulling out a plastic bag.  
  
"Opium." She murmured. "Drug bust, we can take him in on that and question him about the girls after he's processed."  
  
He nodded and started for the curtain. When no one was looking, Scully yanked her Sig out of her tennis racquet case and holstered it under her shirt at her back. She wasn't taking any chances. Mulder paused and looked back and she headed toward him, pulling her id out of her shorts pockets. Just then they heard a loud voice protesting, and ran onto Court 3.  
  
"This isn't what I paid for!" The man was complaining. He froze when he saw them coming, identification held up.  
  
"There a problem here?" Mulder asked. The short man began to stutter.  
  
"Jo—Josep, it's—it's the FBI Josep…"  
  
Cheyenne shrugged his shoulders and spun around hands up—and each holding a bomb.  
  
"You may put your identification away now." He said smoothly. "They will not save you."  
  
The agents looked at each other and closed their badges up, reaching for their pockets. Scully tried to calculate how much time she'd have to get to her gun if she went for the back pocket. Mulder tried to stare Josep down, but failed miserably. They had barely moved, but he stopped them.  
  
"Ah—uh-uh. On the floor." They obeyed. "Manuel, pick 'em up." The short man retrieved the badges, babbling like an idiot. Cheyenne studied the badges. "Fox. Are you armed? You must be. Let's have it."  
  
Mulder glared at the man and reached under his loose shirt, recovered the T-126 he'd had against his rib cage. Cheyenne whistled lowly.  
  
"Nice. You weren't packing this in '90, were you?" he looked over at Scully. "Dana."  
  
Involuntarily, Scully shuddered. As much as Mulder's voice could caress her when he said her name, this man's voice was venomous. But he mistook her reaction for something entirely different.  
  
"You like that, sweetie?" he murmured, reaching out to touch her, then stopping. "I need your weapon."  
  
Scully reached back and retrieved her Sig. Mulder stared. When did she put that on?  
  
"Such a big gun for such a little lady." He said, setting it on the floor with Mulder's. Cheyenne advanced, then set one of the bombs on the floor a few feet away from Scully. "But is that all you got?"  
  
He reached out with his free hand and touched her sides, rubbing up and down her rib cage in what he thought she considered a sensual act. Only Mulder could see the ice in Scully's eyes, the hatred for a killer. Then Cheyenne grabbed the back of her head and tried to kiss her, but was surprised by a sound blow to the jaw.  
  
'Now why does that look familiar?' Mulder wondered, thinking of the Queen Anne. Scully was mad now more than ever, but she tried to calm down. She didn't want him getting angry. But she was damned if she was going to apologize—or let him touch her again. Josep licked his lips hungrily.  
  
"Feisty." He growled, and grabbed her hands so she couldn't hit him again, kissing her roughly. Mulder was about to beat the crap out of him, bombs be damned, but Manuel immediately started stuttering again.  
  
"Uh—Josep. You're assaulting an FBI agent, Josep. We're going to get in trouble…"  
  
"Oh, do shut up." Cheyenne spun around, drawing his own Glock and shooting Manuel in the chest.  
  
"No!" Mulder shouted too late. He tackled Cheyenne and Scully ran to Manuel, whose life was slowly oozing out of him. She pressed down on the wound hard, feeling the blood hot and sticky between her fingers. He was so far gone she doubted anything short of the best damn doctors in the country could save him. He seemed to sense that, and gasped out his last words.  
  
"You keep me in this pain?" she knew it was up to her. Someone had to tell him it was ok to die. She bit her lip.  
  
"Let go, Manuel." She said softly. "Go in peace."  
  
And he was gone.  
  
Meanwhile, Mulder had knocked the gun from Cheyenne's hand and they were going at it with blows and kicks. Scully tried to grab Mulder's T-126 from the floor, but her hands were still slippery with blood. She groaned in frustration, then wiped her hands off and slipped her T-130 out of it's holster on her leg and thumbed the safety off silently. She hated the rage that was welling up inside her, but something had to be done before Mulder was hurt. Cheyenne had her partner by the neck, and she glided up behind the drug lord and pressed the warm metal of the gun against the back of his neck.  
  
"Hurt him… and so help me God. You will not live to see the light of day again." Her voice was pure steel and Cheyenne slowly released his hold on Mulder's neck. Scully pushed Cheyenne off to the side a little, keeping her gun trained on his back. "Mulder, can you handle this?"  
  
He seemed disoriented for a moment, just staring at her. Then he shook himself and scooped Scully's Sig off the floor and began reading their prisoner his rights. Scully saw through the big glass window that the lobby had been evacuated and police officers were milling around. Someone must've called them when the guns came out.  
  
Slowly she made her way down the enclosed hallway that separated Courts 1, 2, 3, and 4 from 5, 6, 7, and 8. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open and entered the throng of people. In the corner, talking with Becca, was none other than Walter Skinner. When he saw her he allowed Becca to leave—which she did, and quickly. Scully approached him.  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"Scully…" he stared at her. "Agent Scully, what—" he gestured at her and she looked down. Her previously white t-shirt was a grotesque shade of red, soaked with a dead man's blood. There were faint handprints on her shorts where she'd wiped her hands off. And now she realized that she was trembling uncontrollably.   
  
"Can—can you excuse me please? Sir?" she asked faintly. Then, without waiting for an answer, she walked quickly into the vacant locker room.   
  
Scully stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom section, looking blankly at the blood. There was so much of it… she let out a frustrated cry and yanked at the handle of the faucet. Rubbing her hands together fiercely under the water, she cursed Josep Cheyenne again and again, hoping it would relieve her anger; the sick feeling that wouldn't go away.  
  
It didn't work. She still felt filthy. Something was wrong.  
  
  
Mulder escorted Cheyenne into the lobby and a police officer offered to take him down to the station. The agent readily agreed, then went up to his superior.  
  
"Agent Mulder?"  
  
"The girls are in the basement of his house a few blocks from here. The address is 254 Chestnut Avenue. He hasn't confessed to the murders in 1990, but we can arrest him on possession and VICAP can question him at the station. His was the only gun fired. Here." Mulder handed the weapon over in an evidence bag.  
  
"Good work, Agent Mulder." The shocked look brought forth a soft laugh. "Don't look so stunned. You did what you had to do."  
  
"Yeah—uh, where's Agent Scully?"  
  
"In there." He motioned to the locker room.  
  
"Alone?"  
  
"I think so." Mulder looked worried. "Agent Mulder?"  
  
"Excuse me." He muttered, and pushed through the door. "Scully?" There was no answer. His stomach twisted when he saw the blood-soaked shirt lying on the bathroom floor, rolled into a ball. Where was she? "Scully?"  
  
Still no one replied. He strained his ears and thought he heard something. Running water. None of the faucets were on. Were there showers in here? But why wasn't she answering him? He stepped into the locker area and saw another exit with towels hanging near the doorway. The water sounded louder now. Completely abandoning any hope of a slow approach, he raced in.  
  
"Scully!" Mulder turned a corner and stopped short. In one of the marble stalls was his partner.  
  
She was still fully clothed, aside from the fact that she'd stripped the bloody shirt he'd found in the bathroom off and had a tight navy tank top on that had been under it. Her hair was already dark and straggly, and water was streaming down her face—but she didn't seem to notice. She stood straight against the wall of the tiny space, her arms at her sides, fists clenched. Mulder watched her struggle to breathe, her chest rising and falling as she gasped for breath. Slowly he reached out and turned off the water. Scully didn't seem to notice.  
  
Mulder grabbed a large white towel from a nearby rack and approached her cautiously. She was still shaking. The towel, when draped over her shoulders, was ignored. She turned her head toward him slowly, and her body sagged.  
  
"Mulder…" she whispered, and he jumped forward, pulling her close to him. The moisture on her clothes soaked into his skin and she took two handfuls of the front of his shirt and buried her face in his chest. Mulder drew the towel around her more tightly and held her against him. Neither spoke for a long while.  
  
Finally, Scully looked up at her partner and bit her lip. She led him to the benches by the lockers and they sat down.  
  
"I'm—I don't know what's wrong with me, Mulder. First after Skinner collapsed and now this?"  
  
"Well, I can understand Skinner; someone you cared about almost died. But I—I'm a little confused about Cheyenne."  
  
"No one's ever forced themselves on me like that." She said at length, looking him in the eye. "He would've raped me, Mulder. Right there, if he'd been angry enough. He is so inscenced against women that he needs to lull them into a false sense of security before killing them."  
  
"The affairs."  
  
"That's what I think."  
  
"You're probably right." Mindful of the fact that Scully was probably a little uneasy about physical contact right now, Mulder simply kissed the top of her head. As he started to rise, Scully grabbed his arm and spoke in that impossibly low voice he'd grown to love.  
  
"I don't mind being kissed by you, Mulder. You're not him."  
  
Mulder grinned and slid his lips onto hers gently. Then he took her hand and helped her off the bench. And as they walked back out into the lobby, Scully touched her lips lightly for half a second, and realized that she felt different than she had when she first came in here.  
  
She felt clean.  
  
End part 2/?? 


	3. Principals III

Principals III  
  
Archive: Yes, please! Anywhere! If you could just let me know... I'd like to visit.  
  
Spoilers: Oh, Lord, where to begin? Better beware of absolutely everything that's ever aired. I'm still working.  
  
Rating: Ah, maybe a *slight* R for language.  
  
Classification: MSR. Duh.  
  
Summary: Just read it, *please*? I promise it gets pretty good, IMHO.  
  
Disclaimer: They're not mine.  
  
Feedback: Do my fish swim back and forth and torment my Siamese? That's a yes, in case you're wondering. Flames will be used to burn my Spanish textbook after this semester.  
  
Note: I just wanted to thank everyone who reviewed this series so far. I honestly didn't think it would be well-received, especially since it's the first I've ever posted. Thanks for the encouragement, and I hope I live up to your expectations.  
  
Principals III  
  
Apartment of Dana Scully  
November 11, 2000  
6:00 PM  
  
Events had conspired to keep Mulder and Scully apart over the past week. (Mulder was on lend to VCS and Scully had autopsy lectures at Quantico.) But now it was Saturday, and the agents had congregated to have their long-overdue 'rules talk'.  
  
Mulder came bearing Chinese food, and as he set it on the table, Scully got their drinks. She set the bottle in front of him and sat down. Mulder stared at the label.  
  
"Must be love." He whispered.  
  
"It is." She was smiling at him. A few minutes later, they sighed together, then laughed nervously at their nervousness.  
  
"So…" Mulder began. "Areas that are off-limits."  
  
"The office." Scully said immediately. "Actually, anywhere in the building, crime scenes, hotels, and most public areas.  
  
"Maybe I should ask what areas are on-limits."  
  
"Our apartments." Obviously she'd been thinking about this. "Or if we went someplace we knew no one from the Bureau ever went, hotels…"  
  
"Hotels again. Clarify."  
  
"Hotels are off when we're on assignment. But if we're in a hotel after we close a case, before we leave…" her voice trailed off. Mulder grinned.  
  
"I could go for that."  
  
"But I think—maybe when we are on a case we should just…"  
  
"Hit pause."  
  
"Exactly." She Smiled at him and Mulder's lungs contracted painfully. How did she do that?  
  
After they were done, they relocated to the living room to watch tv. Nothing was on.  
  
"Mulder… I'm kind of tired anyway."  
  
"You want me to go?" 'Say no, say no, say no…'  
  
"No."  
  
'Yes!' Mulder sighed, relieved.  
  
"Um—you know we're not ready to… you know, that—"  
  
"Yeah." Mulder assured her. "There's no rush. I kinda like where we are now, anyway."  
  
"Me too. But… do you want to stay here tonight?"  
  
"I don't know, Scully." He tried to reel her in. "Your couch is a lot shorter than mine."  
  
"Then we'd better use the bed." She said smoothly. Game, set match. He was beaten. It was a shutout. He was pointless. He was without point.  
  
Scully rose and went into her bedroom. Mulder heard drawers open and close, then heard the bathroom door shut. It wasn't until then that he deemed it safe to follow. The last time he'd been in here there was glass everywhere from Scully's battle with Donnie Pfaster. The mirror was replaced, and now the room was immaculate. He sat on the bed.  
  
Suddenly he remembered when Scully had gone with the Smoking Man. That incident had made it easier for him to leave her on that Dirty Dames stakeout. He still didn't understand why she hadn't told him.  
  
Something banged against her front door. Mulder sighed heavily and got up to retrieve it.  
  
No one was in the hallway, but a box was sitting there.  
  
"Her name is Janie, please take good care of our darling little box." He muttered.  
  
"Mulder?" Scully came out. "Was someone here?"  
  
"I guess," he said, picking up the parcel.  
  
"Please don't explode my apartment, Mulder, it's been through enough already."  
  
Mulder opened the box cautiously and pulled out a small cassette tape.  
  
"Ten to one you can't dance to it." They said together. Scully took it and put it in the stereo. A crackling sound came through, then Scully's voice.  
  
"Oh my God! It's the tape I mailed you."  
  
"Why'd you send it here?"  
  
"I didn't. And—and the tape I sent was a micro-cassette. Someone's copied this, probably listened to it." She fast-forwarded a few minutes.  
  
"You'd die for Mulder. But you won't allow yourself to love him." Mulder stared at Scully. Had they really been that transparent? Then he heard the reply.  
  
"…You're not just a cold-blooded killer, you're a pop psychologist as well."  
  
"Go, girl." He squeezed her arm and sat back as the tape played on.  
  
Two hours later, Mulder shut the tape off. He'd heard enough.  
  
"I'm sorry, Scully. I understand. You didn't have a choice." But she was barely awake.  
  
"I loved you, Mulder, and you know I trusted you. Did you really think I would keep this a secret?" She asked, mumbling into her pillow as she lay at the other end of the couch. Mulder hit stop on the stereo and took her hand.  
  
"I'll never learn, Scully, you know that?"  
  
"Whatever." She hauled herself to her feet. "I need rest." She followed him into the bedroom, where Mulder looked around uneasily.  
  
"I can't sleep in my suit." He said doubtfully. Scully pulled a sweatshirt from her dresser and handed it to him.  
  
"Your sweats are in the bathroom."  
  
"Why do you have my…"  
  
"You left them here one night when you came and had to change."  
  
"Oh, yeah." He gave her a crooked grin and disappeared into the bathroom.  
  
When he returned, Scully was in bed with her back to him, the lights out. Mulder hesitated. How were they going to do this? He sat down on his side of the mattress cautiously, then lay on his back. She didn't speak. Was she dead to the world already? Probably.  
  
Mulder was almost asleep when she rolled over.  
  
"Took you long enough." She mumbled.  
  
"I've been here. You fell asleep."  
  
"Oh." She didn't argue. "Ok."  
  
Scully wriggled closer until her head rested on his chest like a pillow. He couldn't resist.   
  
"You're gonna wake up with a crick in your neck."  
  
"Shut up." She put a hand on his rib cage and felt his heart beat while the other arm pulled the blanket closer.   
"Mulder, your heart is racing."  
  
"That's your fault." He said huskily, stroking her hair slowly.  
  
Sleep was not long in coming.  
  
  
***   
Apartment of Dana Scully  
November 12, 2000  
6:06 AM  
  
Scully woke slowly and stretched, thereby waking her partner as well. Her head had moved in the night so it was no longer on his chest but tucked between his head and his shoulder. And Mulder's hand had been removed from her head and was draped around her upper body in a loose embrace.  
  
"Mm… what time is it?"  
  
"At the tone?" He looked at his watch, which was sitting on the nightstand by the bed. "About ten after six."  
  
"You could've said it was three in the morning and let me sleep."  
  
"Oh…" he leaned over slightly and kissed her forehead. She groaned faintly as he moved away, then sat up a little and kissed his mouth gently before laying on him again.  
  
"So this is what you're like in the morning." He said, chuckling.  
  
"What'd you expect?" She asked; knowing him, the answer would be interesting.  
  
"Well, you always seem so tense at the office when you first walk in, I guess I just never thought you were much of a morning person."  
  
"I was tense because every morning I stepped out of that elevator and realized that I still loved you." She murmured. "And if I was too afraid to say anything about it, then it must be unrequited. " She looked at him. "And I've always thought that was pathetic."  
  
"It was never unrequited." Mulder gazed into her eyes.  
  
"I know that now." She whispered, her eyes glassy. Mulder tightened his grip on her shoulders and rolled her onto his body, so their faces were only an inch apart.  
  
"Good morning, Scully." He said huskily, and threaded his fingers through her hair, pulling her mouth down to his. A minute later, they separated reluctantly.  
  
"I need a shower."  
  
"I need a run." They voiced their morning rituals. "And a shower."  
  
Scully slowly untangled herself from him and stared at her partner as they stood next to the bed.  
  
"I should go. I like to get going before too many people are on the streets."  
  
"Ok." Her voice was strained. "Then you'd better get started."  
  
"Is it bad that I don't want to?"  
  
Scully sighed as he wrapped his arms around her, then returned the gesture. They stood there together for awhile, bathed in the filtered sunlight. Finally, Mulder broke away and kissed her softly.  
  
"I'll be back soon."  
  
While Scully was in the shower, Mulder retrieved his gym bag from the car and changed into his running outfit. After stretching a little, he set off toward a park near her apartment. He ran a long loop around the swings and slides and baseball diamonds, then started back.  
  
As he proceeded toward Scully's apartment, he passed an alley lit by numerous streetlights. There he heard a shout, followed by some decidedly painful scuffling. He looked to his left and saw a man reach into coat pocket for what was obviously a weapon.  
  
"FBI!" He yelled, pulling his T-126. He was emphatically glad he'd taken it with him on his run. "Don't move."  
  
But the crook had other ideas. He spun around and fired a quick shot; Mulder had barely enough time to spin out of the way and duck out. The bullet had grazed his arm, much like when he'd found Henry Weems, and it stung painfully. But he heard running footsteps and another shot that came ridiculously close. This man was insane—and there's no such thing as a safe arrest when the culprit is insane. Mulder slipped into a corner store and saw the man had missed seeing him.   
  
Mulder watched him slide around the corner and he crouched behind a counter as the guy ran by and out of sight. Looking up just barely in time, he saw the tattoo of a cat's paw on the back of his hand.  
  
  
  
***   
Apartment of Dana Scully  
11:21 AM  
  
Mulder had waited about 45 minutes before running the last two blocks to Scully's apartment. He had spent the time talking quietly with the store owner's wife in a back room while she tried to clean the wound on his arm. From the previous time this happened to him, he thought she'd done a good job. But his elation at being all fixed up evaporated when he entered the living room. Scully was pacing the floor, one hand on her hip, one hand at the back of her head. When she heard him walk in he'd seen an anguished look in her eyes.  
  
"Mulder, what happened?"  
  
"What?" He glanced at his arm. The bandage wasn't visible through his sweatshirt.  
  
"I seem to developed a sense for when you're in trouble. I've learned not to ignore it." She walked up to him. "Are you ok?" Mulder sighed.  
  
"Sit down, Scully." They relocated to the couch. As he told his story, her shoulders sagged.  
  
"The cat's paw? You're sure?"  
  
"Positive."  
  
Scully took a deep breath. "Then we're going to have to put you into protective custody."  
  
"But Scully…"  
  
"Mulder, this man saw you. It was a well-lit alley, right? So he knows you know who he is. We need to treat you as a witness, and as a witness, we can't take the chance of you getting killed. They will undoubtedly come after you."  
  
Mulder groaned. "Well, what about the other guy? The guy I'm assuming got away when Mr. Paw chased me."  
  
"Hopefully, he went to the authorities. I'll call and check." As Scully leaned over for the phone and dialed the police station, Mulder sagged against the back of the couch, watching her. Her barely-dried hair had a golden sheen to it that glimmered in the sunlight. Suddenly he was overcome with love for her and slid over to stroke her hair gently. Scully leaned back against the furniture as he continued, hoping her voice wouldn't break when she spoke to the officer.  
  
"Hello? Yes, this is Special Agent…" Mulder stopped listening. This speech was so familiar they could do it in their sleep. As she questioned the desk sergeant about this mystery man of theirs, Mulder pulled her closer carefully and ran the outside of his index finger up and down her neck slowly. Scully closed her eyes and concentrated on the conversation. "About 5"4', stocky build, black hair oiled back?" Mulder's gaze was unrelenting as he nodded slowly. His voice was almost a croak.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"We can—we can verify it. Keep him safe. Thank you." Scully hung up the phone and took Mulder's hand from her neck, kissing the palm sorrowfully.  
  
"Is a car coming?" he asked softly.  
  
"Yeah. It's going to your apartment, so we should get going. You need to pack."  
  
"They say how long I'm gonna be there?"  
  
"No. It'll probably be a while."  
  
"How much should I take?"  
  
"What you think. If you end up needing more, I'll get it to you."  
  
"Ok." They stood to leave. Scully put a restraining hand on Mulder's arm.  
  
"Mulder… they don't record sound in the safehouse rooms, but they do keep video records…"  
  
Mulder took Scully's head in his hands and brought his lips to hers. He kissed her slowly, languidly, bringing that warm feeling in her stomach to a boil.  
  
"Then," he said huskily as he eased away, "that's going to have to hold us until I'm back."  
  
  
***   
FBI Safehouse  
Annandale, VA  
November 15, 2000  
9:00 PM  
  
Scully walked the empty halls quickly, eager to get to Mulder's room. She hadn't seen him since Sunday; Skinner had kept her working day and night trying to find this suspect. He wanted his star profiler back, it seemed, and back now. So she'd searched high and low and now, finally, she thought she'd found his location. Only now could she see Mulder.  
  
She walked into his space slowly, not wanting to startle him. It was small, but livable; he had a bathroom, a living room, and a bedroom she wasn't exactly sure he used. His food was brought to him. Nowhere to go… so where was he?   
She turned and closed the door behind her.  
  
"Hey, gorgeous."  
  
"Sh—" she spun around to see him in the bedroom doorway. "Mulder."  
  
"One and the same." He sauntered to an armchair near her and sat. "What's up?" 'Why haven't you been here? Is something wrong? What's going on?'  
  
"Everything's ok, Mulder, don't worry. I found Adams."  
  
"We're sure that's the guy that chased me?"  
  
"Yeah. We got a report from the owner of the store you hid in."  
  
"Good."  
  
"So we're doing a bust later tonight, might even get the entire group if we're lucky." Mulder nodded.  
  
"I don't want you to go."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I've got my own instincts, Scully. And mine are screaming at you to stay here and be with me all night. But I know I can't stop you. I know you can take care of yourself—hell, you could beat the crap out of me if you wanted to."  
  
"Well, that's not saying much, but…"   
  
He smirked at her as she sat on the couch, each knowing if they didn't keep a good amount of space between them the guards watching the cameras were gonna get an eyeful.  
  
"Good to know you hold me in such high regard."  
  
She smiled at him gently, then it faded.  
  
"I miss you, Mulder." Scully said, barely audible. "I woke up last night reaching for you, and you weren't there. I—I had no idea I was so dependant on you." She saw the look in his eyes. "Or you on me."  
  
"Oh, Scully…" he started to get up, then sagged back down. "Damn cameras. I just want to hold you…"  
  
Scully bit her lip.  
  
"Tomorrow." She promised. "This will be over tomorrow."  
  
  
***   
Abandoned Warehouse  
Arlington, VA  
November 16, 2000  
1:21 AM  
  
"What's going on? Anything?" Scully spoke into her headpiece.  
  
"There's only three people in there. Shouldn't be too hard."  
  
"Just jinx it, why don't you?" She muttered. Long-time friend and SWAT team leader Jerry Rico smiled in the other van. "We do not shoot unless absolutely necessary. If we want to find the rest, we need leverage of some sort."  
  
"Yes ma'am."  
  
"Don't try me, Rico." She grabbed her weapon. "Set?"  
  
"Let's do it."  
  
The raid was quick and efficient; these were the Bureau's best. They took the first two men without incident, but couldn't find Adams. Scully noticed a side door and went in.   
  
"Mr. Adams? Federal agents!" Then she noticed something.  
  
A bomb was on the table. The timer read fifty seconds and ticking downward.  
  
"Abort! Abort now! Bomb!" Thundering footsteps sounded as the other agents evacuated.  
  
"Agent Scully!" Jerry called her. She ran, but was grabbed forcefully from behind by her target. Rico skidded around the corner, but Adams had Scully's gun.  
  
"Go." He whispered harshly. 20 seconds.  
  
"Wait—"  
  
"Damn it, go!" She screamed at him. Her friend seemed to hesitate only a second before obeying. Five seconds later, the vans squealed off. Adams hauled Scully out to the car and dropped her in the back seat. Ten seconds. Scully yanked at her necklace, biting back a cry as the chain sliced her skin, and hauled it out the broken window. Five seconds after that, the building exploded, sending a shock wave through the back windshield and shattering all the glass in the car. Scully shrunk into a ball on the floor, protecting her head and neck from the flying shards.  
  
'Mulder…' she thought despairingly. 'Where are you?'  
  
  
***   
FBI Safehouse  
Annandale, VA  
November 16, 2000  
5:00 AM  
  
Mulder awoke with a start. Something was wrong. From his bed on the couch he saw the hallway light turn on and a few people running, the footsteps slowing as they grew louder. He had barely gotten up before Skinner and two guards burst in.  
  
"Where is she?" He asked immediately. If Skinner was surprised that Mulder knew his partner was in danger, he didn't show it.  
  
"Agent Scully was in a raid to—"  
  
"What… happened?" Skinner sighed.  
  
"Scully was taken by force. Adams has her. We have every reason to believe he'll want to trade her for his cat paw buddies."  
  
Mulder's face went even blanker. The guards saw a monster with no feelings. Skinner saw a panic.  
  
"You have to let me help."  
  
"Mulder, you are too close."  
  
"I have to find her."  
  
"The only reason we told you in the first place was so you wouldn't kill us when you found out anyway. You are a protected witness. I cannot allow you to leave this room. Hans and Frank will be posted outside your door." Skinner started to leave, then stopped. "We'll find her, Mulder. Don't do anything stupid." The door closed. He was alone.  
  
"Scully." It was a half-gasp, half-sob that escaped him. He pulled out the cell phone he was allowed to keep and called the Lone Gunmen. "Frohike, it's me. Turn off the tape."  
  
"Mulder. What is it?"  
  
"I need a favor. It's Scully."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"I can't talk right now, look, I need you to do me a favor. I'm at the safehouse in Annandale. I want you guys to hack into the security computer mainframe. Then you need to give the cameras a virus—black 'em out for about two hours. I'll take care of the rest."  
  
"Might take a few minutes."  
  
"Then get moving. Call me when it's done." He hung up.  
  
  
***   
Unknown location  
  
Scully was still in the car, but they were pulling over along the road. It hadn't been long since the building exploded and she was afraid to move from her position for fear of getting but badly. Adams had her gun. Blood was semi-dried and sticky on her neck. She was not in a good mood. The car stopped and Scully saw her captor get out and yank the back door open.  
  
"Get out." When she hesitated, he grabbed her arm and pulled. A long gash appeared on her lower arm and blood flowed freely. "Come on, let's go." She was pulled to her feet. "You're going to get us another car."  
  
"How?" She asked evenly.  
  
"Flag someone down. Use your badge. Tell them it's an emergency and thank them for saving their country. I don't care how, just do it.  
  
Scully glared at him and stepped to the side of the street. A dark green Ford Taurus appeared and she stepped into the road, holding her badge up.  
  
"FBI!"   
  
The car stopped and a woman in her mid-30's stepped out, accidentally losing hold of her keys and putting a scratch in the paint.   
  
"Oh—damn—is something wrong?"  
  
"We need your car."  
  
"But how am I supposed to get home?" She asked suspiciously.   
  
"I'll call a car to come get you." She lied. "It's an emergency, ma'am."  
  
"Oh—sure—of course." She took the key to the ignition off the ring and examined it. "Ooh, there's some paint there. House key. Damn it, I just got that car painted! You're not going to go and get it wrecked?"  
  
"That's not really up to me, ma'am. Thank you for your cooperation." Scully reached for the key, exposing the cut on her arm.  
  
"Oh! Are you ok?"  
  
Scully looked the woman directly in the eye. "I'm fine."  
  
  
***  
FBI Safehouse  
Annandale, VA  
5:30 AM  
  
Mulder's phone rang.  
  
"Frohike?"  
  
"Two hours."  
  
"Thanks." He hung up. Looking towards the door one last time, he slid the window open and jumped out. It was still dusky out, and Mulder ran bent-over behind the bushes. None of the guards were particularly interested in the building so much as its surroundings. Keeping people in wasn't really a part of their job description; it was keeping people out.  
  
Mulder reached the fence, complete with electric wire at the top. Studying it carefully, he decided he could jump over the dangerous part after climbing up the first part, but only if it were off. He pulled out his phone.  
  
"Lone Gunmen."  
  
"Langly. Tell Frohike to turn off the fences." He ordered. Ten seconds.   
  
"Done. Go."  
  
The agent hung up, looked for passing witnesses, and jumped over with agility. He hit the ground running and was soon in a cab headed to his office.  
  
  
***   
Unknown location  
  
Scully's gun was trained on her the whole time she drove away from the woman. When she was well out of sight, Adams spoke.  
  
"Pull over." She did. "Keep moving… get out. Don't try anything stupid." He came around the car. "Open the trunk."  
  
Inside was a gym bag with a pair of shoes and a basketball, a small first aid kit, and a spare tire. Adams kept the gun on her while dropping pocketknife on the ground.  
  
"Cut the shoulder strap. I need it nice and long."  
  
'Bastard.' Scully thought as she obeyed. With one hand, he picked up the material and motioned for her to close the trunk.  
  
"Now open the back door." He ordered. "Cut one of the seatbelts as long as you can. Then cut it in half, length-wise."  
  
Scully's body grew hot with anger. What was he going to do to her? She was relieved of the knife and shoved into the passenger seat. Adams set the gun on top of the car and grabbed her hands, twisting her arms behind her back. She gasped sharply at the rough handling, then felt the strap of the bag being wrapped around her wrists securely, then tied. He pushed back so she was against the seat, then buckled her seatbelt. As if she weren't immobile enough already, he proceeded to bind her feet with the severed belt from the back seat. Adams stood, grinning.  
  
"Ok. Let's go."  
  
  
***   
FBI Headquarters  
6:45 AM  
  
Mulder ran in the side entrance, glad that the only person in sight was his friend Rob, a security guard.  
  
"Mulder—hey!" Rob stopped him.  
  
"I'm not here."  
  
"I thought you were in a safehouse."  
  
"I am."  
  
"Oh…" he nodded. Mulder grinned at him, then sprinted to the basement.  
  
  
***   
FBI Safehouse  
Annandale, VA  
7:30 AM  
  
Skinner stood in Mulder's empty space.  
  
"Mulder doesn't appreciate being locked up, does he, Mr. Skinner?" the Smoking Man asked. "You know he's probably at the FBI building right now, trying to find his partner."  
  
Skinner glared at him.  
  
"Good."  
  
  
***   
FBI Headquarters  
Switchboard  
7:40 AM  
  
"FBI Headquarters, how may I help you?"  
  
"Um—something kind of weird happened—"  
  
"One moment, please."  
  
  
***   
FBI Headquarters  
X-Files Department  
7:41 AM  
  
Mulder's phone rang on his desk. He let the machine get it, still searching Scully's desk. It beeped, and a woman's voice came through.  
  
"Ok—ok, um, I was stopped in my car by an FBI agent and told another car would come and take me home… she said it was an emergency and her arm was cut…" Mulder straightened and listened. "And there was—there might have been blood on her neck too, but I can't be sure 'cause it might've just been her hair, I mean, 'cause it was red, and—"  
  
"Hello?" Mulder grabbed the phone.  
  
"Hello."  
  
"This—this FBI agent. Was she about 5'3, blue eyes, red hair cut kind of short?" Was she my life? Was she the woman I'm in love with?  
  
"Yeah. How did you—"  
  
"Well, she—she—was she ok? Did you ask?"  
  
"Yeah, when I saw her arm."  
  
"Is she all right?"  
  
"She said she was fine."  
  
"Hold one minute, please." Mulder put her on hold, counted to ten as fast as he could, and slammed his fist into the wall. "Damn it!" He picked the phone back up and re-connected. "Where are you? I'll be right there." She gave an address, and he ran back upstairs to where he'd come in.  
  
"Rob, I'm leaving."  
  
"And you were never here."  
  
"Owe you."  
  
Mulder took a cab to Scully's apartment and got his car, all the while clutching the address he'd been given. He was going to find his partner.  
  
  
***   
FBI Headquarters  
Side Entrance  
8:00 AM  
  
Skinner walked in briskly.   
  
"Rob, how're you doing?" He asked. "You haven't seen Agent Mulder this morning, have you?"  
  
"Agent Mulder? I thought he was in a safehouse in Annandale."  
  
"Not anymore." He growled. "If you see him, you might want to mention that he's in a unique situation, and that I don't know how to help him. Or if I want to."  
  
But that was a lie. He wanted to, very badly. He wanted Scully back. Skinner turned on his heel and, in his best marine style, marched off.  
  
  
***  
Pay phone near the bomb site  
Arlington, VA  
8:10 AM  
  
Mulder drove slowly around the area until he saw a lady who fit the description he'd been given. When he flashed his badge, she seemed to wilt in relief.  
  
"I swear, I've been on my feet for God only knows how long trying to get through to your headquarters. You're a really popular organization, you know?"  
  
"Not my branch."  
  
"Yeah, well, then there was all that stuff about a bomb, and a bunch of black vans went by, they stopped by this old warehouse—only it was all burned down! I liked that building, too. I guess terrorists or something…"  
  
Mulder stopped the car.  
  
"Where's this warehouse?"  
  
"Right down there." He followed her finger until he saw the remains. "Oh, God, Scully." He gasped. She looked at him.  
  
"You didn't have anyone—in there, did you?"  
  
"I hope not." He parked and jumped out, looking around. If there were any remains, they would've been confiscated as evidence. He cursed the Bureau's efficiency. Then a glimmer caught his eye, and he knelt on the ground. Scully's necklace.  
  
"This is getting old, gorgeous." He groaned. Mulder returned to the car and accepted the sympathetic look he received with silence. "Where did you get stopped?"  
  
"Right down there."  
  
"Let's take a ride, shall we?"  
  
  
***   
Unknown location  
  
Scully was carried into the building and roughly dropped into a small room. Her captors severed her bonds and left her. The space was small, with only a small bed and a tiny window in the top corner covered with wire and bars.   
  
"Nice digs." she mumbled, sitting on the bed. They'd taken her badge, they'd taken her phone, they had her gun… and to top it all off, she had to face the fact that Mulder had been right. Now she was in danger yet again, and where was he?  
  
"Damn it!" Suddenly she jumped up. Did Skinner tell him? Was he out looking for her? He could be killed! "Mulder…" she gasped, sinking back down onto the bed. "Please be ok. Don't worry about me. Stay alive. Please."  
  
  
***   
Along the road  
8:45 AM  
  
Mulder saw the abandoned car and pulled over. Broken glass crunched under their feet as they pulled open the door. There was a streak of blood on the back seat. It was Scully's. He knew it. But the 'Scully-module' in his mind told him it would have to be proven. He couldn't do this on his own. Eventually he'd have to get the Bureau's resources involved. He called Skinner.  
  
"Sir, before you get started…"  
  
"I'm not going to, Agent Mulder. What have you found?"  
  
"Adams' car. There's blood in here, sir."  
  
Skinner exhaled. "Mulder…"  
  
"No—I'm fine, I just think you should send a few people out here. I need someone to take the blood back to the lab, and someone has to give a ride to the woman whose car Adams and Scully hijacked."  
  
"Did you get the information on the car?"  
  
"I'm about to."  
  
"Where are you?"  
  
Mulder gave the location and Skinner promised to get someone out there right away.  
  
  
***   
Unknown location  
  
Scully had done thirty push-ups, thirty sit-ups, and twenty-five laps around the room. She didn't care if they were watching; it was helping her think. Finally, she dropped exhausted onto the bed.  
  
Suddenly, the door opened and she jumped up. Adams, flanked by two large guards, came in.  
  
"Your partner is not cooperating." He said. "He is about to find us. In fact, he's probably on his way." He sat on the bed where she had just been. "We've been watching him, you see, and have decided that we should give you back." He grabbed her arm and the guars cuffed her hands behind her back.  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
"Elsewhere."  
  
"It won't work. Mulder will still testify against you."  
  
"By the time he goes to trial? I'll be gone. I won't exist anymore. And you? You'll starve eventually."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"I'm not giving you back. I'm giving her back." He pulled her down the hall. "Agent Scully… meet Agent Scully."  
  
A woman stood there in front of them. And she looked exactly like Scully—right down to the clothes and cut on her arm. The imposter pulled out Scully's badge.  
  
"FBI."  
  
"Delilah's been gracious enough to become you for us. I'll see that Mulder doesn't encounter the real you as well."  
  
"I—how?" She gasped.  
  
"We have the best plastic surgeons in the country, agent." She was flung to the ground, her hands still bound. The guards unlocked the cuffs, then forced her to sit on her knees with her back to a steel pole that reached from floor to ceiling. Her wrists were tied again with strong rope behind it. "Enjoy."  
  
"As the door slammed, leaving her alone, Scully jumped after him, straining the rope. It had been tied well. She was stuck.  
  
"Mulder…" she gasped softly, finally giving in. "Sh—" her head hung, a single tear dropped into the dust.  
  
  
***   
Unknown location  
  
Mulder followed the road until he found a one-story office complex that had been condemned. This was it.  
  
He parked the car. Pulling his gun, he looked around cautiously. Seeing no one, he started around the back.  
  
"Scully!" she was standing right there.  
  
"He's gone. They're all gone, I just barely got away."  
  
"Are you ok?"  
  
"Oh… I'm a little shook up…"  
  
Mulder eyed her. "If it's iced tea…"  
  
"Fox, what are you talking about? We have to get out of here."  
  
He stared at her, then aimed the gun at her head. "Could they be so stupid?"  
  
"Fox, what are you doing?" she asked shakily.  
  
"Where's Scully? What are you?"  
  
"I'm an FBI agent, thank you very much—" Mulder clicked the safety off. "Oh."  
  
"I'll give you one last chance."  
  
The woman gulped. "In—in there. But there's no one else!"   
  
Before Mulder could react, Adams sneaked up behind him and struck the back of his head with a blow that sent him to the ground. Delilah took the plane ticket he extended her. They'd be gone long before Mulder awoke.  
  
  
Mulder came to groggily. It was dark out. His watch glowed at him. 7:00 at night. How long had he been out?   
Then he remembered. He *had* to stop getting his ass kicked! His cell phone rang.  
  
"Mulder." He groaned, holding his head.  
  
"It's Skinner, where are you? We've been trying to reach you all day."  
  
"I'm down the road from Adams' car."  
  
"Office complex?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"We're coming up on it. Just stay put."  
  
"Yeah—shit!"  
  
"What? What?"  
  
But Mulder had hung up. He jumped to his feet and ran at breakneck speed.  
  
"Scully?" he ran through the hallways. A vague impression of footsteps following him sounded in his ears; Skinner had brought the calvary. Mulder stopped in his tracks.  
  
Through one door's window he could see his partner bound to a pole, head hanging.  
  
"Damn it." He breathed, stepping back and kicking the door open. Skinner and his agents watched from the door.  
  
"Mulder." Scully whispered as he ran to her. He touched her arm briefly while reaching around with his knife to cut the rope. "Are you ok?"  
  
"What?" he knelt down next to her. "Shouldn't I be the one asking that?"  
  
"I can't believe Skinner told you." She said, glancing at her boss. "You could've been killed."  
  
"Shh, don't worry about that." he helped her to her feet, barely catching her when she staggered.  
  
"Sorry. I've been here awhile."  
  
"What did they do to you?" They spoke in hushed tones so no one could hear.  
  
"It doesn't matter. They're long gone by now."  
  
"Agent Scully?" Skinner finally spoke. "Are you ok?"  
  
"Fine, sir." She answered. Mulder looked at her pleadingly. She put a hand on his arm.  
  
"Scully?"  
  
"I'm fine, Mulder."  
  
Her touch stood to enflame him, and his eyes darkened considerably. It had been too long. But Skinner had other ideas.  
  
"Agent Scully, can you go give you statement now, then?"  
  
"I'll take her."  
  
"Agent Mulder, you're coming with me."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You have to fill out the required paperwork in order to be released from protective custody. Unless you'd rather go back to the safehouse…"  
  
"No, sir." He muttered. Scully smiled weakly at him and started to walk away. "Hey." She turned. "I'll ride with Skinner. You take my car."  
  
Scully stared at the keys he'd handed her like she had no idea how they got there. Then slowly she reached into her pocket and pulled out the keys they hadn't taken from her. The Apollo 11 keychain glistened in the dusty air.  
  
"Houston?" she whispered, her eyes now dark as Mulder's had been. It had been so long, so freakin' long…  
  
"This problem, at least will be solved very easily." He murmured. Skinner saw his agents trying to hear the exchange, and sent them reeling back with a stern look. Scully and Mulder stood there for a moment before they broke the connection. Within minutes, all had gone their separate ways.  
  
  
***   
Annandale Police Department  
November 16, 2000  
9:00 PM  
  
Scully heaved a sigh as she left the station. It had taken far too long to give her statement, and all she wanted to do was get some sleep. But as she pulled into her parking space, all she could think of was Mulder. She'd tried to call him on her way home, but he didn't answer his cell phone. Much as she wanted him—needed him—there was no way in hell she was going out looking for her wayward partner on the verge of exhaustion.   
  
Verge. What verge? She was there already. She was bone-tired, and she wanted sleep. Now.  
  
But then she saw Mulder's shadow in her window. All weariness gone, she walked as quickly as she could without running to the elevator.  
  
Mulder tensed when he heard a key in the lock. Scully walked in and without looking at him, locked and chained the door. She took out her cell hone and set it on the end table with her gun and keys. Mulder straightened up as she finally made contact. She held out her hand.  
  
"Mulder…"  
  
Two steps later, he was in her arms, cradling her head gently as he brushed her lips with his. Scully wrapped her arms around his neck and growled against his mouth.  
  
"Damn it, Mulder, I am not going to break!"  
  
He hesitated. God, he wanted this, but she'd just been chained, probably beaten, locked up for who knows how long. Scully backed away and looked him in the eyes, still with his neck gripped tightly. Her hands squeezed just enough to get his attention.  
  
"Mulder, look." She whispered. "I know you want to protect me. And I'm grateful for it. But I want this. Need this. And if you want it too, but you're too afraid to do anything… we've got big problems."  
  
"We already have big problems."  
  
Scully smiled slightly.  
  
"That's true. But I think we can work past them. So can you kiss me now?"  
  
Mulder stared at her, almost unable to believe what he'd just heard. Almost unable to believe what he'd just done. What was he afraid of?  
  
Scully saw him thinking and craned her neck to see his eyes better. Her voice was worried and unsure.  
  
"Mulder?"  
  
"Scully…" he gasped and the ghosts vanished as he pulled her back to him roughly, melding his mouth against hers. Scully's hands slipped their grip from the back of his neck as she wrapped her arms back around more securely. This act forced them even closer together, and each enjoyed the sensation of having their body lined with the other. Mulder's body trembled as Scully closed on his lower lip, gently biting down on it. His hands massaged her back seductively, finding delight in feeling her shiver. Scully pulled at his lower lip slightly as she slid away.  
  
"God, I'm so glad you're back." He whispered, hugging her close.  
  
"I'm sorry, Mulder. I wish I could promise it would never happen again, but—well, you know I can't."  
  
"But… could you do me a favor?" She did not like the look in his eyes. "About me saying you shouldn't go? Could you say I was right?"  
  
"Never."  
  
Mulder stared at her, then let out a slight laugh.  
  
"You're back."  
  
End Part III/?? 


	4. Principals IV

PRINCIPALS IV  
  
Archive: Yes, please! Just let me know where...  
  
Spoiler: Oh, absolutely everything. Requiem hasn't happened, though.   
  
Rating: R for language  
  
Classification: MSR  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine, not mine! Although I can't help but think they're in better hands with me than CC... g.  
  
Notes: Ok, here we go. First off, I KNOW I must've spelled Quononchontaug wrong, but I guess that'll just have to get put up with. And I'm pretty sure it's in Rhode Island, but I'm too tired to check on it.   
  
So this is the fourth installment of a story that decided to become a series without consulting me. Rather rude of it, wouldn't you say? I'm trying my best to continue giving you, the readers, what you want, and I hope I haven't disappointed. However, I am of the opinion that you might not like this part as much as the others. I'm sorry, I just don't see it as my best work. However, I worked hard on it, so here it goes. Have mercy...  
There are a few other things I think want you to know, but as they contain spoilers for the story, they'll be at the bottom. Happy reading!  
  
Silver Beauty  
  
Principals IV  
  
  
Apartment of Fox Mulder  
  
November 18, 2000  
  
6:45 PM  
  
  
Scully and Mulder sat together at his dining room table, one across from the other. A case file involving a child being kidnapped was scattered everywhere. The VCS had once again enlisted their aid, although each thought the answer was completely obvious.  
  
"Mulder, that's ridiculous!" she burst out, finally dropping the papers he'd asked her to re-read. "Look at the evidence! Of course her father did it—he practically confesses in here."  
  
"But what about the fact that he doesn't remember anything about that night?"  
  
"He's lying?"  
  
Simultaneously, they put their hands at their foreheads and sighed. Scully spoke first.  
  
"I'm not going to apologize to you, Mulder."  
  
"Good. I'm not going to apologize to you either."  
  
Damn it, he hated it when she was right.  
  
"Good. So we're just about done here?"  
  
"Yeah. I'll call Agent Burrows and tell him to arrest the dad."  
  
"Thank you." Scully stretched. "Mulder, what time is it?"  
  
"Uh… 'bout ten 'til. Why?"  
  
"My shirt should be about finished." Mulder had made dinner for the two of them that day, but seeing as it was hamburgers, had found it necessary to spill ketchup everywhere. They'd had a good laugh at the look on his face when he tried to shake the bottle upside down and the contents splattered, but it had gotten all over Scully's blouse in the process. They'd thrown it in the wash immediately, though, so maybe it was still salvageable. Mulder had offered to dump ketchup on the rest of it so it would match. Scully had politely declined. Now she stood, Mulder's dress shirt hanging off her ridiculously. He cocked his head and regarded her carefully.  
  
"Cute."  
  
"Shut up, Mulder." She grabbed the phone. "Here. I'm not going downstairs in this. If people don't think we're sleeping together already, now they definitely will."  
  
"Aw…" a grin lit up his face, but she cut him off before any crude comments came out, barely suppressing a smile.  
"You get my shirt. I'll call Burrows."  
  
"'K." He released the phone to her and stretched, getting up. As he walked out the door, Scully dialed the phone.  
"Jim? It's Agent Scully…"  
  
  
Mulder opened the door to the laundry room and peered into the darkness. He could never remember where the light switch was in here. The set-up was completely absurd. You had to open the door from the lobby of the building, and immediately step down because the stairs down started right there. The light was somewhere halfway down.   
  
Leaving the door open for illumination, Mulder strained his eyes, then tensed as he heard thundering footsteps. A group of kids ran past, trying to race into the laundry room. They couldn't stop fast enough. Mulder pitched forward at heart-stopping speed, wondering briefly why the staircase was so damned steep…  
  
  
"Hey. Hey, dude, get up."  
  
"Did we kill him?"  
  
"Don't be an ass, Jimmy, shut up."  
  
"Is he breathing?"  
  
"I think so… well, now what?"  
  
"Gimmee that phone." Paul took the handset off the wall and handed it to Tom. The four boys watched him dial 911.  
  
"Emergency dispatch."  
  
"Y—yeah." Tom blubbered, winking at his friends. "We—uh, we need an ambulance. This dude, like, fell down the stairs or something, an' he's—he's breathing, but he won't wake up, and we don't—we don't know what to do with him…"  
  
"Don't move him. Loosen any tight clothing he might be wearing and stay there. What part of the building are you in?"  
  
"Uh… the laundry room. You can get there through a door in the lobby. But don't you—like, need our address, or something?"  
  
"We know the address. Caller identification. Does the victim have any medical bracelets or necklaces? A card in his wallet that lists his allergies?"  
  
"Um…" he pulled a leather case from Mulder's pocket. "No—shit!" he dropped the phone and the wallet.  
  
"What?" Jimmy asked.  
  
"He's an FBI agent. Oh, man, we're in trouble…" the boys raced upstairs and to their apartments before the ambulance came screeching to a halt. All the drivers knew the way to this building very well by now.   
  
Upstairs, Scully finally put the phone down. That Burrows kid had a mouth on him. And where was Mulder? It had been a half-hour already. That 'oh-my-God-Mulder's-in-trouble-again' feeling was slowly working itself up into a panic.  
Her cell phone rang.  
  
"Mulder?"  
  
"No, is this Special Agent Dana Scully?"  
  
"Yes, who is this?"  
  
"This is Bethesda National Hospital calling for you. You're listed here as Fox Mulder's next of kin?"  
  
Shit.  
  
"Yes, that's right." She was halfway to the car already.  
  
"Well, he was brought to the hospital just now with a serious concussion. He's been unconscious since they found him, hasn't woken up yet. The doctors are checking on him now."  
  
"Did you call Assistant Director Skinner?"  
  
"He was here already, checking on another agent who'd been injured. I believe he's just waiting to see the doctor."  
  
"What room number?" Scully walked up to the registration desk, still talking into the phone. The nurse gaped.  
  
"That was fast."  
  
"What room number?" Scully demanded, hanging up.  
  
"121. Go around that way."  
  
Scully turned the corner and saw Skinner standing by the door.  
  
"What happened?" She asked, jogging up to him.  
  
"I don't know—"she cut him off.  
  
"Was he attacked? Was it Krycek, CGB Spender? Someone from the cat's paw?"  
  
"Scully, calm down."  
  
"I will calm down as soon as someone gives me a reason to calm down!" Skinner gave her a funny look. "What?"  
  
"That line sounded familiar."  
  
A man with an air that just screamed 'Big Important Doctor Person' came walking up. Scully pounced on him.  
"Are you talking care of Fox Mulder?"  
  
"Yes. You are…"  
  
"His—"  
  
"Oh, the next of kin we called?" He guessed. "Come in here, Mrs. Mulder."  
  
"He's not my husband." Scully didn't move. "We can talk here."  
  
"Fine, then. Your boyfriend—"  
  
"He's not my boyfriend." She lied, straight-faced. She'd had enough practice, anyway.  
  
"Then what is he?"  
  
"He's my partner." She said quietly. "What's wrong with him?" The doctor hesitated, as if wondering how to dumb it down for her. "Look, I'm a doctor, you can tell me." He sighed.  
  
"We got a call from a kid at his apartment. Paramedics found him unconscious with a pretty bad blow to the head. He's still unconscious now, so you won't be able to talk to him."  
  
"Are there any internal injuries? Massive trauma?"  
  
"None, unless there's something we missed in the cursory. And we haven't given him a PET scan yet."  
  
"Okay." She licked her lips. "What about memory?"  
  
The doctor shrugged.  
  
"There's a chance there might be some memory loss… we have to wait for him to wake up to find out for sure."  
  
"All right." She headed for the door.  
  
"Hey! It's immediate family only."  
  
Scully walked in without looking back.  
  
"She's all the family he's got, doctor. Leave it alone."  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"I'm their boss. Assistant Director. FBI." He showed his teeth.  
  
"Oh. Ok, then."  
  
  
"Mulder, it's me." She said softly, taking a seat by the bed. "God. Can't you do anything without getting hurt?" She paused. "Did you leave my shirt down there?" No response. She sighed, then looked toward the door. Skinner could be seen pacing the hallway, talking into his cell phone. They were still alone. "Mulder, you think you can wake up now? For me?" But he didn't move. She sighed again and took his hand, holding it in her lap and leaning back in the chair.  
  
Skinner came in.  
  
"Agent Scully? What's going on?"  
  
"Seems like the good doctor was right," she said, quickly setting his hand back on the bed. He didn't seem to notice. "He'll wake up sooner or later." Sooner. Please. Sooner.  
  
  
***  
  
Besthesda National  
  
November 19, 2000  
  
3:45 AM  
  
  
Mulder opened his eyes slowly, wincing at the pain in his head. He was in a hospital.  
  
Again.  
  
Then he saw Scully sleeping in a very uncomfortable-looking position, sitting in a chair with her head resting on it's side in her arms by his chest. Mulder reached out and brushed a strand of hair back gently.  
  
"I'm sorry, Scully..." he whispered as she slowly woke. Then her eyes flew open.  
  
"Mulder? Are--how're you feeling?" he shrugged. "Sorry for what?"  
  
"For gettin' mad." he closed his eyes, willing the pain away. "At you, for goin' with Smokey. You had good reason." Seeing her stunned look, he went on. "I don't really remember, but I must have said something stupid if this headache is from you beating me up."  
  
"When did I get back?" she asked quietly. He looked at her like she'd finally snapped.  
  
"Yesterday. Why?"  
  
"I--should tell the doctor you're up. I think he's on a night shift today."  
  
"Uh--" But she was gone.  
  
"Dr. Coleman?" she wandered down the hall in a doze. "Doctor--oh. Um, Agent Mulder just woke up."  
  
"Did he?"  
  
"Look, you don't give a damn, I know that. But seeing as you're his doctor, I think you should go make an evaluation so I can call my superior."  
  
"You're a doctor."  
  
"He's going to ask for *your* opinion." The 'good doctor' didn't move. "Look, Mr. Coleman--"  
  
"It's *doctor*--"  
  
"It's *mister* until I think you're worthy of the title you obviously don't deserve. Now go check on my partner before I have to call the AMA and get your liscence revoked."  
  
"You can't do that."  
  
"I'm a federal agent, Mr. Coleman. I know people."  
  
He looked at his watch, glared at his shoes, then headed for Mulder's room. Scully saw a washroom nearby and went in.  
  
Thank God it was empty. She walked to the sink and stared at herself in the mirror. The light makeup she usually wore had worn off long ago, and she was quite conscious of the fact that she looked like hell.  
  
She felt like hell. Mulder didn't remember. Now what? She couldn't tell him... with that blow to the head, he should definitely not get excited--it might send him into a coma. And this kind of news would *certainly* get him worked up. He'd start to get upset, blame himself for not remembering... guilt complex. Only Mulder.  
  
But how long? She washed her hands and went into the hallway.  
  
Security guards were everywhere, and Coleman stood outside the room. She ran up to him.  
  
"I've only been gone two minutes, what the hell is going on?"  
  
"We're restraining your partner."  
  
"What?"  
  
"When I asked him what day it was, he looked at me like I was insane. When I told him what day it was, he *went* insane. He's going to wake people up."  
  
Scully stared at him in disbelief, then wrestled her way in. Finally, she reached the bed where two guards were trying to pin Mulder's arms down.  
  
"Take your hands off him," she ordered, moving to his side. Neither guard responded as Mulder continued to struggle.  
  
"Scully--Scully, what did they do to me?" he yelled, nearly breaking free. The guards continued their fight.  
  
"Maybe you didn't hear me." she said, shoving her badge in their faces. "I meant *now*."  
  
They looked at each other, then simultaneously dropped his arms.  
  
"Thank you. Now if you could give us a minute?" The room emptied quickly. No one wanted to be alone with the crazy man. Mulder stared at her.  
  
"What did they do?"  
  
"Mulder..."  
  
"Did they take my memories?"  
  
"I don't think so. Mulder, lie down or you're gonna hurt yourself." he considered, then saw her stiff posture and obeyed. Scully moved back to the chair. "How're you feeling?"  
  
"Like I got my ass kicked. What happened?"  
  
"I don't know. We were at your apartment looking over a case. You went downstairs to get... something out of the dryer--and, come to think of it, it's probably still down there..."  
  
"Ah, whatever." he dismissed it with a wave of his hand. " What's another dress shirt down the drain, more or less?"  
  
He thinks it's something of his. He doesn't know... he doesn't know... he doesn't know...  
  
"Yeah. Anyway, the agent from VCS didn't let me off the phone for a half hour, by which time you were already here. You were unconscious for quite some time. But now that you've gotten all excited and--"  
  
"Who called it in?"  
  
"A young boy. He must've found you--Mulder?"  
  
But he'd slipped away. Scully checked the EKG quickly and sighed, relieved. He'd just fallen asleep. Maybe her conversation wasn't stimulating enough for him. Slowly the time caught up with her and she fell asleep, her head again resting by his arms as she drifted off.  
  
  
***  
  
Bethesda National   
  
November 20, 2000  
  
10:00 AM  
  
  
Scully got off the phone with Skinner after reporting Mulder's progress and turned, only to smack right into a middle-aged woman.   
  
"Oh! Excuse me."  
  
"Agent Scully?"  
  
"Y--yes, I'm sorry, do I know you?"  
  
"No, uh, my apartment is on the floor beneath your partner. Agent Mulder? Yeah, I saw you up there with your badge, and you seem to be there a lot... he's your partner, right?"  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"Good, 'cause I wasn't sure, just guessing. But anyway, my teenage son and a bunch of his friends came in all spooked the other day and I made 'em tell me what happened... a mother has her ways, you know. And they said they accidently knocked out an FBI agent. And I recognized their description and I looked out the window and I saw the ambulance and I recognized Bethesda National's emblem and I came down to apologize on behalf of my son because he's in school and I..." she checked her watch. "Am late for work." she touched Scully's arm briefly before turning away. "Gotta go."  
  
Scully stared after the retreating woman.  
  
"Wait!" she called. "How'd they..."  
  
"Said they ran into him and he fell down the stairs." the woman shrugged. "Later."  
  
Scully scoffed and turned to go back to her partner. He was just starting to wake. She sat down and he wriggled his wrists.  
  
"What? No shackles?"  
  
"Would you rather I had you tied down?"  
  
"Ooh, Scully..."  
  
"Mulder, no one took your memories." Scully almost started laughing. Of all the conspiracies, cults, groups of people named after animal parts... a couple boys knocked him down a flight of stairs. This was too funny. "You got your ass kicked by a bunch of teenage boys."  
  
"What?"  
  
"A bunch of kids accidently knocked you down a set of stairs."  
  
"You're kidding."  
  
"Nope. Unless--you have a 40-something woman, 'bout 5'7, dark blonde hair about shoulder length living on the floor below you? She's got a son..."  
  
"Yeah. Ol' Whirlwind came to apologize? Wow, you know you're goin' places in the world..."  
  
"Well, I guess it's time to go."  
  
"Where you going?" he asked, trying to mask his panic.  
  
"*We* are going to your old summer house on Rhode Island."  
  
"We?"  
  
"We."  
  
"Listen to us, we're French."  
  
Scully shook her head, smiling. "I remember you saying you were gonna keep it after your mom died. You need to get well. Salt water in the air might help jog your memory."  
  
"How?"  
  
Scully shrugged. "Recent studies. Something about inhaling the salt in the air that should stimulate electrical impulses in your brain that trigger the memory lode... you really want me to go into all that medical jargon, or would you like me to finish up so you can get out of here?"  
  
"Finish. Please."  
  
"Ok. It serves a double purpose. It keeps you away from the office *and* it helps me keep an eye on your condition. So unless you'd rather stay here..."  
  
"Let's go." he started to get up, but she shook her head.  
  
"Not so fast." he lay back down, grumbling. "You need to get discharged. Let me tell the nurse and get your things."  
  
Mulder sort of whined, sort of complained, and sat up a little against the pillow. Scully had his things gathered and soon they were on their way.  
  
  
***  
  
Mulder Summer Home  
  
November 21, 2000  
  
11:21 AM  
  
  
Scully sat at the table typing furiously on her laptop. Mulder was still asleep, so she was trying to get some work done. Skinner had approved Mulder's going to Quononchontaug and even told her to go with him before she could inform him that this was her intent. Now she was looking at a murder in which--aw, shit.  
  
Exsanguination. The body completely drained of blood. Two fang-like marks on the jugular. She sighed and held up the picture, holding it under intense scrutiny.  
  
"Vampires? Scully, you've been holding out on me."  
  
"Satanic cultists. Even got the needles for you." Scully closed the laptop and put the work away. Mulder sat next to her.  
  
"X-file?"  
  
"Cunsult for Vi-Cap. They knew I'd seen it before."  
  
"Ah." they sat in silence for awhile. "So. Did anything big happen that I don't remember?"  
  
Scully got up and started to pace without even realizing it. She couldn't be this close to him. Not now.  
  
"Not really."  
  
"Bite your tongue, Scully." she stopped, feeling his gaze burning into her back. "Are you lying to me?"  
  
She didn't face him. "I--Mulder, there are a couple of cases you don't remember, that's all. Nothing, really."  
  
"Scully." he begged her to turn, and when she did, he could plainly see the anguish in her eyes. "Is it the X-files? Did they get shut down? Is it your mother? Was one of us fired? Someone die? What?"  
  
"It was nothing. Everything is fine."  
  
"You're lying to me." his voice held the most awful mixture of betrayl and hurt and disbelief.  
  
"Mulder, listen to me." she knelt in front of him on one knee, putting one hand on the chair to steady herself. "Something happened. But I am *not* going to tell you about it. With that blow to the head you suffered, I'm not about to risk an aneurysm--or worse, your slipping right into a coma. Your brain is too weak, and I *know* you. You'll start blaming yourself for not remembering and get all stressed out and lose it, and I don't want that happening. You have to trust me. It can wait for you to remember."  
  
Mulder took her hand from the chair and held it in both of his.   
  
"You know you're the only one I trust." he said, looking thoughtfully at the small part of Scully's body he held. "And you know I'd do anything for you." he bit his lip and gave her hand back. "God, Scully, I can't tell you how much this hurts."  
  
"Mulder..."  
  
"No. Don't. Just--" he got up suddenly, and Scully reared back just in time to miss getting knocked over. "I gotta go." he left the room.  
  
  
***  
  
Mulder Summer Home  
  
November 23, 2000  
  
10:13 AM  
  
  
The days that followed the agents' confrontation were tense. Scully would disappear into herself for hours on end, working on any and every small detail of her current case. Mulder spent a great deal of time trying to remember. He found himself wishing he hadnt said those things to Scully. Looking back with disgust, he realized he'd sounded so much like a character in a soap opera he wanted to puke.  
  
But he *was* hurt. And Fox Mulder was not above using trickery to get what he needed.  
  
Call it a game, he thought to himself, eyeing the lake. Scully would be a worthy--if unknowing--participant.  
  
Mulder felt an involuntary pany of guilt over the idea.  
  
But she's not *telling* me something, he argued with himself vehemently. She might be in danger. It would be just like her to tell me she's fine and not mean it.  
  
That settled it. Swallowing his dread of anything water-related, he entered the cabin.  
  
  
"Sailing?" Scully looked up, startled. She definitely hadn't been expecting this.  
  
"Yeah, well, it's not really *sailing* sailing, it's the same kind of boat we had on Heuvelman's Lake that one time. C'mon, Scully, it'll be a nice trip to the lake."  
  
"That phrase alone sets my nerves on edge." she sighed, looking out the window. "Ok. I guess."  
  
Mulder felt a really stupid-looking grin spread across his face.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
  
12:11 AM  
  
  
Mulder still hadn't gotten Scully to tell him anything. She was getting suspicious. Either that or something was wrong. He could tell she was tense; through her shirt, her back muscles were tight and rigid. A salty breeze blew at his face as he looked out at the water. They'd checked the weather, and it was supposed to be fair and sunny all day. So far that seemed to be right.  
  
Scully looked out toward the horizon, then back at her partner. The uneasy crease in her eyes, coupled with the brief sway of the boat to one side, told him all he needed to know--and more than he wanted to.  
  
"Getting kind of rough?" he asked. She nodded.  
  
"We're awfully far out. I'm turning us around." Scully turned the wheel almost completely and the boat began to change directions. Mulder got up and stood next to her.  
  
"It doesn't look that bad." he observed quietly. The water was moving swiftly and small waves were forming, but the sky was still sunny and the breeze was warm. Scully shook her head.  
  
"No, Mulder, I was a navy brat. The sea is in my blood. And I'm telling you if we don't get to shore extremely fast, there's gonna be trouble."  
  
Mulder nodded and left the stern to retrieve something from the chest in the back. Life jackets. Scully was still gripping the wheel and wordlessly extended one arm, keeping the other hand holding tight. He slipped the preserver onto her shoulder. As she switched hands and shrugged into the other half, Mulder put his on and fastened the buckles.  
  
Suddenly the sky was black and the wind whipped the waves into a frenzy. Scully struggled with the wheel, afraid to let go with even one hand.  
  
"Mulder, can you get the front, please?"  
  
"Yeah." he stood facing her, reaching into her arms as she tried to keep the boat on a steady course. He concentrated on getting the jacket closed, but found himself breathing in her scent instead. She was breathing hard, and he seemed to remember that sound. As the latches closed, he didn't move. Scully glanced at him quickly, then returned her attention to the water.  
  
"Mulder?"  
  
And he knew that voice. He knew the feeling of those lips gliding over his. He knew the feeling of those hands pulling him nearer. He could remember it all. God only knew what had triggered it...  
  
"*Mulder*." Scully looked at him again, worried. "What--"  
  
Just then, a huge mixture of wind and waves attacked the glass they stood behind, shattering it. Rain now pelted down on their faces insistently, a warning of the coming storm. Mulder and Scully reeled around, off-balance, trying to protect themselves from the flying shards. A colossal wave beat against the wall, ripping away the thin pieces of wood. A windtunnel was created in what was left of the cabin, pulling Mulder back. Scully watched, disbelieving, as he descended into a tangle of wood. But the storm wasn't finished with them yet.  
  
Scully was washed overboard.  
  
"Scully!" Mulder jumped toward her, but the wave had taken her already. A few strong pieces of wood grabbed at him and took hold of his life jacket. "No!" Mulder could see her head bobbing in the water and wrenched the vest open, bolting free. It wasn't going to do him much good where he was going. He vaulted onto the still-standing iron railing and dove into the rushing water. He got a glimpse of Scully, battling for breath, just before her body was completely submerged.   
  
Lightning lit their surreal world that had been at peace just moments ago as Mulder drew in a deep breath and dove again. This was why he ditched the life jacket. How was he supposed to go underwater with that thing? Afraid to open his eyes in the salt water, he felt around blindly until he felt a rubbery life preserver. Yanking upward, he kicked toward the surface fiercely. Clinging to a thoroughly drenched partner, he made a half-hearted attempt to steer them to shore. Scully was conscious, though out of breath and tired; she couldn't manage to do more than cling to him. As the waves pushed them to the sand, Mulder's head became clouded with images and voices.  
  
Care to dance, Agent Scully?  
  
You wear a skirt when you play tennis, Scully?  
  
I don't know, Scully, your couch is a lot shorter than mine.  
  
Hey, gorgeous.  
  
Oh, God, Scully.  
  
An icy wind froze the water on his face as he dragged her a few feet onto the sand, too tired to do any more. Cold water continued to ebb gently towards the beach, slipping water under and around thme while Mulder fumbled with the clasps on Scully's jacket. She began to cough violently, but didn't seem to have swallowed any water. Mulder got the vest open and helped her out of it, letting an exhausted smile come across his face. Thank God. He let his expression grow sober, though, when he saw how close he'd come to losing her--again. He rolled on to her, holding on as if his life depended on it. Burying his face in her neck, he spoke in gasping sobs while she stroked his hair gently.  
  
"I'm sorry, Scully." he choked. "I'm sorry for leaving you at the Dirty Dames stakeout and I'm sorry for not being there for you when Waterston showed up and I'm sorry for walking out of my apartment and getting knocked down the stairs--"  
  
Scully started, stopped her hand's repetitive motion, and took his face in her hand, lifting his gaze to her eyes. She hadn't been sure if those cases had been before or after the time he last remembered, but this?  
  
"--and I'm sorry for not kissing you sooner and I'm sorry I didn't run up to the roof and yell for Skinner and the Bureau and the world to hear that I love you, Scully. I love you so much..."  
  
And Scully stopped him, cut off his words by pulling his mouth down over hers. She kissed him fiercely, not sure if the water on her face was from Mulder's tears or her own.  
  
"Thank God..." she breathed against his mouth. "Mulder..."  
  
She threaded her fingers through his hair and they lay there, tangled together, soaking wet.  
  
"How?" she whispered, holding the back of his head while he closed his eyes and rested his face in her hair.  
  
"Recent studies," he mumbled, moving his mouth to her throat. She pulled his head even closer, gasping at the sensation.  
  
"What?"  
  
Mulder's next words were punctuated by light kisses trailing up from her throat back to her lips.  
  
"It started up--on the boat. I got--this feeling--and then in the water--it just all came back--mmm."  
  
Scully anchored his mouth against hers passionately. They lay there for awhile before Mulder groaned.  
  
"I'm old, Scully."  
  
She grinned wickedly.  
  
"And this is too taxing for you?"  
  
"Just my back."  
  
They laughed slightly at that, then Mulder pushed himself up and pulled Scully to her feet.  
  
"Let's go, G-Woman. I want to go home."  
  
Neither agent noticed the brief flash of the sun reflecting off of the camera lens in the nearby bushes.  
  
  
***  
  
FBI Headquarters  
  
November 24, 2000  
  
11:21 AM  
  
  
"Agent Scully, he's completely back to normal?"  
  
'Not that he was normal in the first place...' Scully thought wickedly.  
  
"Yes, sir. We had him checked out by the doctors at Bethesda and it was determined that he is set for active duty."  
  
"Well. In that case, Agent Mulder, welcome back. Now I have some things for the two of you..."  
  
Mulder and Scully shared a secret smile as they listened to their boss. They were back in business.  
  
End part IV/??  
  
  
  
** Author's Notes: I don't know if Scully's rationalizations for not telling Mulder about their new relationship were sound, but I needed a reason to be able to follow that particular plot line. Don't worry, I don't think the next stories (Lord help me...) will be this, uh... weird. Thanks for your patience.  
  
I know I'm putting an insane amount of angst in for Mulder, what with the blindness and the amnesia and the fall down the stairs and all that. I'm trying to keep the amount of horrible things I dish out even, but it's my nasty feminist side (that I didn't even know existed) that kicks up whenever I realize that Scully used to always be the one getting beat up and rescued. I'm sorry if this offends anyone, I promise I have nothing against Mulder. Please keep this in mind for the next installment (guilty grimace). All for the sake of storytelling... 


	5. Principals V

PRINCIPALS V  
  
Archive: Yes, please! Just let me know where...  
  
Spoiler: Oh, absolutely everything. Requiem hasn't happened, though.   
  
Rating: R for language  
  
Classification: MSR  
  
Disclaimer: (As the Mad Hatter in Disney's Alice in Wonderland) Not mine, not mine, not mine! Although I can't help but think they're in better hands with me than CC... g.  
  
Feedback: Please!  
  
Notes: Ok, here we go again. This is the fifth installment of a story that decided to become a series without consulting me. Rather rude of it, wouldn't you say? I'm trying my best to continue giving you, the readers, what you want, and I hope I haven't disappointed. I like this part much, much more than the last one. I guess you guys really didn't like the last one either, seeing as I only got one comment thingy from the bottom. (Now you know where it is, you have no excuses g.) Anyway, I worked hard on this, so here it goes. Enjoy...  
Silver Beauty  
  
  
Principals V  
  
  
December 1, 2000  
  
FBI Headquarters  
  
1:31 PM  
  
  
Walter Skinner was not a happy person.  
  
"Agent Mulder, what the hell were you thinking? Not only did you put Agent Scully and yourself in danger, you almost cost us the arrest!"  
  
"You busted the wrong guy!"  
  
"Agent Mulder..."  
  
"Sir, Robert Whittaker is innocent." Scully broke in quietly. "There *is* a lot of evidence against him, but I think you'll find that all of it is circumstancial. There's nothing concrete against him. 48 hours, he's going to walk--and he should."  
  
"Two witnesses placed him at the scene of the crime..."  
  
"It wasn't him," Mulder said.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"He wasn't there. He was at home watching tv alone, just like he said."  
  
"Agent Scully, am I the only one who thinks that sounds wrong?"  
  
"Do you trust Agent Mulder, sir?" Scully questioned him.  
  
Skinner looked hard at her. "Again, am I the only one who thinks that sounds wrong?"  
  
Mulder glanced at Scully sideways.   
  
"Yeah, actually." he said slowly. "I think that was a valid question. *Do* you trust us?"  
  
*Us*. Scully bit her tongue. She wasn't sure if the slip was intentional or not. Skinner sighed.  
  
"Mulder, you're asking me to refute the work of all the other agents on this case based on--what? A hunch?" Mulder nodded. "That's a hell of a lot of trust."  
  
"Haven't we earned it yet?"  
  
"Sir." Scully spoke quickly before egos went flying. "Mulder is a good criminal profiler. The best. If he's so sure... there must be something."  
  
"How do you know?" Skinner accentuated every word. "Explain it to me. Make me understand."  
  
"Hospital records. There's something wrong with the hospital records." Mulder ground out.  
  
"Why were you going through his hospital records?"  
  
"You told me to profile Robert Whittaker. And I did. But I didn't."  
  
"*What*?"  
  
"Look, that's all you need to know. That's all I know. But Scully and I'll get to the bottom of it."  
  
Skinner focussed his breathing. "Go. I want a report when you're done." The agents rose and went for the door. "Agent Scully, you stay."  
  
Mulder stared back at him, then at Scully, then left quietly. Scully walked back to the desk slowly.  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"Agent Scully, you and Agent Mulder are close."  
  
Scully's stomach clenched. Did he know?  
  
"I'm sure you know that even though you found his sister and exposed the conspiracy, there are individuals who want the x-files closed and you and Mulder dead. For revenge, if nothing else. Tell him to be careful. Watch his back. You know he has a talent for making the wrong people mad. He'll listen to you."  
  
Scully nodded, relieved. "Is that all, sir?"  
  
Skinner hesitated.  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"Yes. Yes, Agent Scully. That's all."  
  
  
***  
  
4:48 PM  
  
  
Pulling her coat tighter to her body, Scully hurried to the bench. The Potomac was frozen and the temperature was freezing; no one was around. Perfect.  
  
Mulder was there. She'd found a note on her desk when she came back from Skinner's office before an autopsy she'd had scheduled. He wanted to meet her. He was wondering what Skinner had wanted. As she approached, she noticed his coat was hanging open and her subconscious berated him, wondering if he *wanted* to catch pneumonia.   
  
"Anyone around?" he asked, hearing her come up behind him.   
  
"No." she sighed and sank down, leaning back against his arm, which was draped over the back of the bench.  
  
"Good." he craned his head until his face was in her hair and he breathed deeply. Scully closed her eyes. Such moments were so few and far between...  
  
A car drove by in the distance. Immediately, though reluctantly, they seperated.   
  
"What did Skinner want?"  
  
"'Agent Scully, you and Agent Mulder are close.' His exact words."  
  
Mulder stared at her, the indistinguishable panic look on his face.  
  
"I know. I almost had a coronary. But it turns out he just wanted to warn me."  
  
"About?"  
  
"You. He's worried about you, Mulder. Seems he thinks you've been making the wrong people mad."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"About the x-files."  
  
"Huh?" he looked confused. "About what, getting us reassigned? Getting them closed?"  
  
"Closed. And getting us killed for good measure."  
  
"What'd we do now?"  
  
Scully didn't answer.  
  
"Scully?"  
  
She sighed and wet her lips. "I don't know. Someone wants revenge. It could be any one of our old cases. Anyone can hold a grudge."  
  
"Why now?" No answer. When Mulder looked over at her, Scully looked at the ground, the slowly shook her head.  
  
"Let's go home, Mulder."  
  
"It's just barely five. Isn't there some kind of papework due for tomorrow? And the case..."  
  
"We can take it to my place. Mulder..." when she looked up at him, her eyes were troubled. "Please. The office doesn't feel safe now." Scully couldn't explain the twisty feeling in her gut, but something told her something was wrong. Mulder took her hand and gently kissed the back of it, feeling her shiver under his touch. She was trembling, and it wasn't from the cold. Scully was scared to death.  
  
"Come on," he said quietly. "Let's get out of here."  
  
  
***  
  
FBI Headquarters  
  
December 1, 2000  
  
4:30 PM  
  
  
Skinner was not happy with this sudden visitation. The man who came in had made his entrance unannounced. What a time for Kim to not be at her desk. And what a day for the most distracted of tour guides to be on duty. And what a day for Mulder and Scully to be missing. And what a day for him to have such a pounding headache.  
  
This kid couldn't be a day over 17 years old. He was still standing in the door.  
  
"You Mr. Skinner?"  
  
"Young man, shouldn't you be with your tour group?"  
  
"Yeah, whatever, so listen. Weird dude gives me this note, pays me 200 dollars an' says get it to Walter Skinner or it's my ass." the kid sauntered on in like he owned the place, looking around before dropping the paper on Skinner's desk. "Man, you got some weird friends."  
  
"Do you know your way out?"  
  
"Hey, man. You better read that. I don't need this guy coming after me." the boy backed out. Skinner glared at the door, then looked at the paper.  
  
MR. SKINNER. THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT MATTER. IT IS IN REGARDS TO AN AGENT UNDER YOUR COMMAND WHO HAD CANCER SOME YEARS AGO. A CHIP WAS IMPLANTED INTO THE BACK OF HER NECK WHICH CAUSED HER SICKNESS TO GO INTO REMISSION. YOU WILL DELIVER THIS CHIP TO US AT THE OLD MERMON THEATRE. BENEATH THE EXIT SIGN THERE WILL BE A RED LIGHT. IF THE LIGHT'S COLOUR IS NOT RED, DO NOT DEPOSIT THE CHIP UNTIL WE CONTACT YOU. THIS IS A MATTER OF UPMOST IMPORTANCE. TELL NO ONE OF THIS SITUATION. IF THESE ORDERS ARE NOT FOLLOWED, THERE WILL BE DIRE CONSEQUENCES.  
  
Skinner stared at the note in disbelief. They wanted him to deliver the chip? Scully's cancer would come back. Was that why they wanted it? Was there another reason?  
  
The phone rang.  
  
"Skinner."  
  
"Did you get the message?"  
  
"Yes. Who is this?" the man chuckled.  
  
"It's not that easy, I'm afraid. I am not the man you want to speak with. Do you understand the directions?"  
  
"I'm not doing it."  
  
"Dire consequences, Mr. Skinner. Refusal is not an option."  
  
"You are essentially asking me to sign Agent Scully's death certificate."  
  
"That's not our problem. Get us the chip."  
  
"Go to hell."  
  
The man sighed. "You're going to regret this. You have forced our hand now." he hung up.  
  
  
***  
  
December 1, 2000  
  
5:02 PM  
  
  
Mulder's cell phone rang as they reached his car. Scully had left hers by the Hoover Building and walked. He sighed and pulled it out.  
  
"Mulder."  
  
"It's Skinner. Where are you?"  
  
"Around."  
  
"Agent Mulder, normally I'd reprimand you for that, but we've got more important things to worry about. Do you know where Agent Scully is?"  
  
"She's with me, sir. We were doing some research on Robert Whittaker and were about to leave."  
  
"Well, get back here, both of you. Now." he hung up.  
  
  
"I don't know, Scully, he just sounded in a hurry."  
  
"Agents!" Skinner ran up to them as they got out of the car. "We need to go somewhere we can talk safely. My office is being surveiled."  
  
"Ours isn't."  
  
Skinner nodded and led the way. Scully raised an eyebrow at her partner, who waggled his back at her. Gunmen. Great.  
  
Mulder held the door open for his boss. Scully stood next to his chair, waiting for her partner to take his seat. Skinner sat in front of the desk. Mulder stared at Scully for a second, then moved to her desk, wheeling her chair behind his next to the one that was already there. With his back to his boss, he winked at her, pleased he'd thought of it. Scully smiled back and they sat.  
  
"Well." Mulder leaned back and enjoyed the view. "This is fun."  
  
"Cut it out, Mulder." Skinner started to reach into his jacket. "You're sure this place is clean?"  
  
"It's fine. Why all the secrecy?"  
  
Skinner gave them the paper and they held it between themselves, reading it. Finally it sunk in. Scully paled and Mulder looked up, his eyes murderous.  
  
"No."  
  
"Agent Mulder..."  
  
"You're not doing this to her again!"  
  
"Mulder." Scully spoke softly. He didn't listen.  
  
"She almost *died*!" He felt her hand on his arm. "No. Scully..."  
  
"Who are they threatening?"  
  
"I'm not letting you do this, Scully!"  
  
Skinner sat back to watch the show.  
  
"I think it's my decision, Mulder."  
  
"No."  
  
"It's not my decision? Whose is it, yours?"  
  
"I--come--sir, will you excuse us? Thank you..." Scully sighed and followed him out. As soon as the door closed behind them, Mulder snapped.  
  
"I am not letting you do this, Scully."  
  
"It is not your decision."  
  
"Damn it, Scully..."  
  
"Shouldn't we at least ask what's at stake?"  
  
"It doesn't matter." she started to turn away from him, but he grabbed her arm. His eyes were feral when she looked back at him. "It shouldn't matter."  
  
"But it does, Mulder. What if *you're* in danger? I'm not going to let anything happen to you."  
  
"It's suicide."  
  
"It's my choice."  
  
"I just *found* you, Scully. I can't lose you now."  
  
"Mulder, I don't *want* to die. But I'm a federal agent, and I have a responsibility..."  
  
"This goes a bit above and beyond the call of duty, don't you think?"  
  
"Mulder, look." Scully took his hand from her arm and held it. "I'm not going to make any rash decisions here. Let's at least get the whole story, ok?"  
  
Her partner sighed and hugged her tight.  
  
"You do realize I'm never letting go of you."  
  
"Good. That'll make it hard for you to ditch me." Scully smiled at him and led the way back into the office.  
  
"So?" Skinner looked impatient.  
  
"Sir, did he say *anything* about what they were going to do?"  
  
"No, nothing. They gave me directions to where I was supposed to go and used the words 'dire consequences'. That could mean anything."  
  
"Yeah." she bit her lip. Mulder was silent. "Sir, I don't have a death wish. I'm not giving them my life 'til I know what I'm up against."  
  
"Did you really think I was going to let you?" Skinner laughed slightly. "I think that's wise. Agent Mulder? Your take on her decision?"  
  
"Oh, I absolutely agree."  
  
"All right. I'm going to put two agents at your door and two at the main entrance to your apartment."  
  
"Sir, I don't--"  
  
"Scully, listen to him."  
  
Agent and Assistant Directer alike stared at him.   
  
"I'm sorry, what?" Scully stammered.  
  
"Don't you even say it's not necessary. We're not risking your life. And I also think, sir, that I should stay with Agent Scully until the situation is resolved."  
  
Skinner hesitated at that.  
  
"Agent Mulder, Bureau policy on two agents of opposite sexes consorting in the same room..."  
  
"Sir, I'm not leaving Agent Scully alone, not with someone after her life."  
  
"Excuse me! Hi. Remember me?" the men managed to look ashamed. "Sir, I think if it'll make Agent Mulder feel better, it's easier to just let it go."  
  
Their boss heaved a sigh. "Agent Scully, do *not* make me regret this."  
  
  
***  
  
Apartment of Dana Scully  
  
December 1, 2000  
  
11:21 PM  
  
  
"So how much says Spooky and the missus are gettin' it on in there?"  
  
Mulder groaned and rolled over on the couch, burying his face in his pillow. This exact same conversation had taken place each shift change. He was willing to bet pretty much everything that at least one of the agents had their ear to the door, listening.   
  
Scully, he thought, was definitely not asleep. She hadn't wanted him sleeping in her room tonight--wait, scratch that. In actuality, he'd seen the conflict of desire and what she knew was right.  
  
"Mulder," she'd said, putting her hand on his arm lightly. "Suppose this person *does* come after me. They have to break in here, they find us together. We can't risk it."  
  
Oh, no, of course not. Damn it, he hated when Scully was right.  
  
"What've you got?"  
  
"Christmas. They'll let it out at the Bureau ball under a big hunk of mistletoe."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Hey, it's a gamble, a guess."  
  
That was it. Mulder leapt to his feet and swung the door open. The two unfortunate agents on the other side jumped guiltily.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought I heard someone loitering out here--but of course that's ridiulous, seeing as we've got such fine agents as you out here. Well." Mulder grinned. "Sorry to disturb you. Excuse me, gentlemen."  
  
After he closed the door, Scully came out of her bedroom.  
  
"I heard the door," she said as an explanation.  
  
Mulder looked her over. She looked exhausted.  
  
"Scully, have you gotten *any* sleep?"  
  
"Have you?"  
  
Damn.  
  
"Look, Mulder, I'm fine." She winced as he visibly clenched his jaw. "It's highly unlikely anyone is going to come after me at home--or anywhere else, for that matter. How long am I going to have to put up with this before you and Skinner figure that out?" She started back to her room, but Mulder followed.  
  
"If you're so sure, then why'd you kick me out? If this guy isn't going to come, they won't need to either." He said, extending an arm backward toward the front door.  
  
"Yes, but Mulder, I don't trust them. Maybe they make kicking down doors a hobby, I don't know." She lay down on her stomach. "Good night."  
  
But he didn't leave. Instead he sat on the bed next to her, putting a gentle hand on her back.  
  
"Mulder..."  
  
"I am going to sit with you until you fall asleep. Then if you tell me to leave, I will. Ok?"  
  
"'K." she mumbled into the pillow. Mulder grinned. This was too easy. He slowly rubbed her back until he felt the knots near her shoulders.  
  
"Geez, Scully, have you started sleeping on the floor recently?"  
  
"Damn, my secret's out." she muttered half-heartedly. Mulder chuckled and got more comfortable on the bed, putting both hands to work kneading her tense muscles. "Mmm..." she groaned slightly in response to his attention. Mulder laughed softly and bent to kiss the back of her neck.  
  
"Oh, Scully... I wish you would let me take care of you more often."  
  
"I wish you would shut up while you're ahead."  
  
"I'm ahead?" he craned his head to see her face better.  
  
"You're pushing it, Mulder. Come on." Without looking up, she lightly tapped the pillow next to her once, then put her arms together under her pillow to support her head. "Get some sleep."  
  
*Now* he was unsure. "You sure, Scully?"  
  
"Mulder. *I'm* not to get any sleep until *you* get some sleep. Ok?"  
  
Mulder sighed and slipped his shoes off, his tie, and unbuttoned a few of the top buttons on his shirt. As an afterthought, he locked the bedroom door, thinking if someone burst in, they'd at least have a chance to recover before they got to that door.   
  
Scully had rolled over and had her back to him when he finally lay down. Mulder pulled her onto her back and kissed her heatedly. Her arms rose to circle his neck and pull him closer. Suddenly she came to her senses as she took his upper lip in her mouth while he gently bit her bottom one.  
  
"Mm... Mulder, if they come in here..."  
  
"They won't."  
  
"They might."  
  
"Oh..." he groaned, pulling away and rolling onto his back. Scully smiled and went back to her previous position, not facing him. Her eyes slipped closed as his arms wrapped around her. Her entire body shuddered with the force with a long sigh and Mulder's arms tightened. His breath was hot against her neck as he whispered a heartfelt promise.  
  
"There will never come a day that I would give up on you, Scully. Ever. You are stronger than anything that can happen to you." He kissed her neck. "And just in case you have any doubts, I'll do my best to keep anything from happening anyway. I promise."  
  
Scully blinked back tears at his hoarse words. She silently held his hands folded near her chest and craned her head back to kiss his mouth softly. No more words were spoken. None were needed.  
  
  
***  
  
Apartment of Dana Scully  
  
December 2, 2000  
  
2:42 AM  
  
  
Two figures slowly made their way up the trellis on the wall of the building. It had just been put up. Each apartment unit in the building would ultimately assume another had requested it. No agnets were posted near it. Finally the men reached the closed bedroom window and peered in.  
  
"Holy shit!" The first figure looked in while the other kept an eye out for witnesses.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Look." He moved over to let his companion see.  
  
"Damn!" He hissed through his teeth. "Can we take both of them with us?"  
  
The other man shook his head. "Nope. Just the chick. Only one. I don't think we could handle two anyway."  
  
"But couldn't we mess with their heads some?" The second man's eyes shone in the dim streetlights' glow. It was the look of a man scorned, a man who could carry a hell of a grudge. "Couldn't we take the guy, hold him in exchange for the chip. Get the chip, don't return him 'til she's dead, he'll kill himself. Kill two birds."  
  
"If this doesn't work we'll be dead."  
  
"And humiliated. But I heard Spooky say it out in the hallway one time..." Tom Colton grinned into the darkness inside the room. "Sometimes the need to mess with their heads outweighs the millstone of humiliation."  
  
  
The window slid open and a cold wind blew in. Mulder groaned and pulled Scully closer.  
  
"Isn't this nice." A voice came from the darkness. Scully jerked away and went for the gun on her night-table. She was awarded a blow to the back of her head with the weapon of the second man's weapon for her efforts. As she slipped into unconsciousness, the light turned on and Mulder was face with the dead weight of his partner in his arms and an angry Tom Colton training a gun on the both of them.  
  
"Don't say one word." He said. "I'll shoot her, don't think I won't. It's just as easy to get the chip when she's dead."  
  
Never taking his eyes off the turncoat agent, Mulder gently lay his partner back on the pillows.  
  
"Why do you want the chip, Colton? What's it worth to you?"  
  
"Nothing. Just the chance to mess with your heads. Get up."  
  
"Ok." Mulder raised his arms. "Just stay cool."  
  
"Over by the window. Move. Quietly." Colton's partner was on the ground already. When Mulder looked over the sill, he clicked the safety off his weapon. Mulder looked back at his partner one last time. He took a deep breath and climbed down, then jumped the last few feet so he landed almost on top of his abductor.  
  
"Oops." he jerked his arm back into the man's face. A short skirmish ensued, then a telling *click* sounded from above them, followed immediately by a second one. Colton had two guns?  
  
"You know, Mulder, with only one gun and six rounds, there's a tiny chance that if you ran I'd miss you and run out of bullets." Suddenly a weed next to his foot was no longer there. "But I have Agent Scully's gun as well as mine. And I don't miss."  
  
"Damn you." he hissed, not moving. Now he had *Scully's* gun? What next? The man he had knocked to the ground got up and found his weapon, pointed it at Mulder. Colton climbed down and stood behind Mulder, cuffing his hands behind his back.   
  
"You're coming with us, Spooky. Dana has something we need."  
  
What the hell? Mulder thought frantically as he was shoved in the back of a van. Why were they taking him? Sure beat the alternative, but... if not Scully, what did they want from him? Colton was a prick, but when it came to sneaking up on a suspect he was one of the best. Of course, he wasn't surprised the jokers on surveilance didn't notice anything.  
  
What did they want?  
  
  
***  
  
Apartment of Dana Scully  
  
December 2, 2000  
  
4:33 AM  
  
  
Scully came to slowly and looked around. She was freezing. Why had Mulder opened the window? It's December, for crying out loud.  
  
"Mulder-proof latches. My Christmas present to myself." she muttered, getting up and closing the window. She missed her partner's warmth. Where had he gone? All of a sudden, a headache appeared that sent her reeling. This felt suspiciously like an old hang-over. Scully leaned against the sill and tried to remember. Something had gone bump in the night and woke her up. Maybe Mulder would remember. She looked around. The bathroom light was off. In the kitchen getting a drink?  
  
"Mulder?" No answer. He's not in the kitchen getting a drink. He's not here. "Geez--" Her gun was gone. *He* was gone. She sprinted to the door, but stopped short.  
  
"Oh, *damn*." How the *hell* was she going to explain this? Yeah, uh, Agent Mulder was in my bed last night and now he's not... sure, and she could flash some cleavage while she was at it.   
  
Scully sat heavily on the couch. Good Lord. This wasn't supposed to happen.  
  
  
***  
  
Apartment of Walter Skinner  
  
December 2, 2000  
  
4:00 AM  
  
  
"Get up, Skinner." Krycek's voice floated through the darkness.  
  
"Do I want to know how the hell you got in here?"  
  
"Mulder's gone."  
  
"He's on a surveilence team helping to protect one of our agents."  
  
"He's helping to protect Agent Scully. He isn't there."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"You know what's good for you? Get there. Now."  
  
  
***  
  
Apartment of Dana Scully  
  
December 2, 2000  
  
4:40 AM  
  
  
Scully jerked as someone knocked on the door. Skinner came in.  
  
"Where's Agent Mulder?"  
  
Scully stared at him.  
  
"Is he here?"  
  
"Do--do you have internal surveilance on my apartment, sir?"  
  
"No. Is he gone?"  
  
"How--" she sighed. "Last night--this morning, actually, I heard a noise that sounded suspicously like a predator entering the premises. However, due to the late hour and darkness, I was unable to reach my weapon in time. The intruder struck me on the head, rendering me unconscious. I can only assume they came in through the bedroom window, since the agents outside don't seem to know of this."  
  
"They?"  
  
"I seem to remember two individuals, though I'm not certain."  
  
"And then?"  
  
"I assume they made their way into this room and took Agent Mulder with them."  
  
"Armed?"  
  
"At least one. They took my weapon."  
  
"Ransom note? Anything missing?"  
  
"Just Agent Mulder."  
  
"Agent Scully, why didn't you report this to the agents outside?"  
  
"I'm sorry, sir, I was just trying to figure out what happened."  
  
"Ah." Skinner waved his hand dismissively and headed for the door to tell the others. He wasn't upset at Scully so much as he was aggravated that Krycek had been right. How much did this man know?  
  
  
***  
  
Unknown location  
  
  
Mulder banged his head against the wall of the van again. Over and over. Thud. Thud. Thud.  
  
Scully.  
  
Scully.  
  
Scully.  
  
The van had driven for a time that could've been hours or days. Mulder had fallen asleep despite his hard fought battle to remain conscious. They couldn't possibly still be in DC.  
  
Finally they stopped and Mulder rolled onto his back, testing the cuffs. No give. He was stuck good.  
  
So now he was on his back on a cold metal floor. He slammed his head back again, causing a hollow bang to reverberate through the space at the back of the extended van. Suddenly one of the back doors opened. Colton jumped in angrily, three armed men covering him.  
  
"For God's sake, Mulder, what's going on?"  
  
"I could ask you the same question." Mulder struggled to a sitting positiong. "What the hell is going on, Colton?"  
  
Coton made a warning noise in his throat, shaking his head, and grabbed Mulder by the collar, pulling him to his feet and dragging him out. The guards glared at him threateningly.  
  
"He said to leave him in the white room." the sentry reported when they neared the building. "Then the boss wants to see you."  
  
"I'm in trouble already?" Colton groaned, shoving Mulder into a featureless room. "Great. Just--watch him, wil you?"  
  
"Yeah. Whatever."  
  
  
***  
  
Apartment of Dana Scully  
  
December 2, 2000  
  
5:03 AM  
  
  
Skinner had told the agents outside to get some crime scene technicians to the apartment and was in the corner coordinating efforts on his cell phone. Scully was being questioned by an agent so green it wasn't even funny.  
  
"Do you have any idea of who would want to harm Agnet Mulder?"  
  
"I've got tons of ideas."  
  
"You're not exactly being helpful."  
  
"Agnet Greene, do you have any idea how many cases Agent Mulder and I have prosecuted together over the past seven years?"  
  
"I--se--seven? Really? Wow. Ok, um... so no ideas?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Ideas on the object he struck you with? Could he have left it behind?"  
  
"Nothing is out of place."  
  
Skinner blinked.  
  
"Do you know where Agent Mulder was when he was taken?"  
  
"I would assume the room we're in now. I wasn't awake, so I didn't see anything."  
  
"About what time?"  
  
"I'm not sure. Early morning."  
  
Greene sighed, frustrated.  
  
"Ransom note? Anything?"  
  
"We expect something."  
  
"And where were you when this happened?"  
  
Scully fixed a gaze on the agent so intense he nearly ran from the room.  
  
"Are you implying, Agent Greene, that I had something to do with this?"  
  
Skinner ignored the protests on the other end of the line and hung up. can we say tension? Someone get me a knife.  
  
"That's enough, Agent Greene."  
  
"I'm not done yet."  
  
"Yes, you are."  
  
"Sir, is he serious?" Scully demanded of her boss' back as he escorted the errant agent out. Skinner sent the man on his way with his best military stare.  
  
'Thank you so much,' it said. 'Now I'm in trouble.' He turned. Scully's eyes were boring into him with pain, fear, and anger... Skinner now seemed to really see his agent for the first time. She was pale and visibly tired and seemed to need to hold onto the fireplace mantel in order to keep from falling.  
  
"Agent Scully, you should try and rest."  
  
"Sir..."  
  
"Look, Greene is new. He doesn't know."  
  
"Then what is he doing on this case?"  
  
"Connections."  
  
"Do I need to mention Krycek?"  
  
"No, Agent Scully, you most certainly do not." he almost went to her, but realized that she would not appreciate it. "Why don't you get some sleep?"  
  
"You can't be serious." Scully ran a hand through her hair. "Is this some kind of joke?"  
  
"We are combing the area. I'm going to put our best agents on this case."  
  
"Like Agent Greene?" she asked sarcastically. "Sir, it would make me feel better knowing I was included in the investigation."  
  
"No."  
  
"Sir..."  
  
"Agent Scully, I let Agent Mulder stay with you against my better judgement, and look where it's gotten us. And I don't want you on this--especially not after lying to Agent Greene."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Why didn't you tell him your weapon was missing?"  
  
"Because." she reached up the chimney of the fireplace and produced a metal box. She took a new Sig from inside and checked the clip, saw it was full, snapped it back in. "I didn't want to explain this."  
  
  
***  
  
Unknown location  
  
  
"Mr. Colton. Do come in." Tom Colton uneasily slid into the room. A dark man sat with his back to the door where the nervous man stood.  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Mr. Colton, do you know the difference between men and women?"  
  
"Ah... yeah."  
  
"Oh. I thought, then, that I should inform you that if you can't tell the difference, you might want to study up on it a little more."  
  
Colton chuckled uncertainly. "I can explain, sir."  
  
"You decided that because Mulder proved you wrong how many years ago, you would jeopardize the project for some petty revenge."  
  
"I--"  
  
"Luckily for you, the situation is panning out wonderfully. The project is ending. We need the chip to erase any trace of it. And Mulder is no longer needed."  
  
"Uh..."  
  
"Your literacy never fails to amaze me." the man said drily. "You see the vial on my desk."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"You are going to take the vial. In it is a solution from our nanotechnology tests. It is the last one. It does not work on the aliens. It will work on a human.  
  
"You will inject the drug into Mulder and keep him here for 24 hours. By that time, he will be as good as dead. Then you will drop him in a hospital; I don't want a dead body on my hands. 36 hours after that, he will have died. That is the time to approach Agent Scully. Shoot her and remove the chip or simply take it and leave her to a slow, painful death. I don't care. But get me that chip. Do you understand, Mr. Colton?"  
  
He nodded, swallowed, and cleared his throat. "Yeah."  
  
"Good. Take it. Get a syringe from the supply room."  
  
Behind the desk, Alvin Kersh tore open a pack of Morleys.  
  
  
***  
  
Apartment of Dana Scully  
  
December 2, 2000  
  
11:43 PM  
  
  
Scully woke and found herself in her room. When had she fallen asleep? How'd she get in here? Then she remembered. Skinner. He'd threatened to place her on suspension from the FBI, leaving her with little means with which to find Mulder. Now he sat in a chair in the corner, looking over maps of DC. As she got up and walked to the living room, he followed.  
  
The room was empty. All the agents and evidence technicians were gone. Scully stood in front of her computer and brought up her main directory. Skinner stood behind her and whistled lowly.  
  
"That's a lot of files."  
  
"That's a lot, a lot, a lot." she answered quietly. "Sir, what you're looking at is every report I have ever written--at least one for every case Mulder and I have worked on. Usually more. And seven years of cases." she closed her eyes and sighed. "And nowhere to start."  
  
"I'll make the coffee."  
  
Scully's heavy sigh was the only answer.  
  
"We'll find him, Agent." Skinner said before going. "I promise."  
  
  
***  
  
Unknown location  
  
  
Colton flicked the syringe and looked at the clock. It was getting late.  
  
"You guys ready?" he asked the guards. They nodded and opened the door. Mulder lay awake, tied down on a cot.  
  
"What's going on here?" he asked.  
  
"Oh. Sorry, Spooky, but you've just been declared expendable."  
  
"What?" Mulder jumped against the restraints before the guards could hold him down. He felt a long needle sink into his flesh before all went dark.   
  
Colton threw out the syringe and left quietly.  
  
The clock struck twelve.  
  
  
***  
  
Apartment of Dana Scully  
  
December 3, 2000  
  
2:44 AM  
  
  
"Nothing." Skinner closed the last file of their 3rd year of cases. "You?"  
  
"Everyone's either dead or in jail." she sighed. "Or it doesn't match the MO. Like that priest in Tennessee. We don't know where he is, but if he were involved, there'd be snakes."  
  
"What about politics?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"People he pissed off. Law enforecment, local flavor... another agent?"  
  
"A search for people who do like him would be easier. And as for law enforcement... God. If only you'd seen."  
  
"So that's a wash."   
  
"Well no, I mean, there's always possibilities. The problem is knowing where to start." she managed a wry smile. "What I wouldn't give for a Deep Throat right now."  
  
"Hmm." Skinner stretched. "Agent, why don't you go for a drive? Get some fresh air, maybe you'll think of something. I'll keep looking."  
  
"Sir..."  
  
"Scully, you need a break. Go. A half-hour. I'll call you if anything happens." he pushed her towards the door and she left reluctantly.  
  
  
When all else fails, turn to your faith. Scully wans't sure she had that faith anymore, but she was willing to try. The dusty old church down the street was always open; more times that she could count she'd seen people walking in and out in search of divine intervention. She had almost done so herself once, when she'd had her cancer. Science and a bit of her partner's extraterrestrial technology had fixed that. She sighed. Now she had no partner to bail her out. She pushed through the door.  
  
The sudden silence hurt her ears.  
  
"Somebody say something." she muttered.  
  
"Howdy!" a priest's head popped up from behind the altar.  
  
"Geez!" she jumped back.  
  
"Ah, don't worry about it, kid, you're too young to have a heart attack." he jumped up to sit cross-legged on the table. "Hop on."  
  
"I can't. I have to get back."  
  
"What you're looking for will turn up." he said, laying on his back and closing his eyes. "You don't need to worry. Everything's gonna be fine. Don't waste that pretty face on wrinkles." he spoke to the ceiling. Scully slowly turned around.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"You're looking for someone. You will find him. It won't look good, and you will be very sad. But you will find him. It'll work out. It usually does when you have an angel watching over you."  
  
Scully, now thoroughly confused, watched him raise his arms and begin to conduct an imaginary band. Slow strains of music began to play from nowhere, and the light from the window intensified. She spun around. It was three o'clock in the morning. Street light? No, not that high.  
  
And then there was a group of people in white robes standing in the light. Scully watched, amazed, as they began to sing 'Silent Night' in perfect harmony. One of the angels turned and smiled shyly, then walked slowly to her as the rest continued to sing. Her hair was longer and her features were more pronounced--and she was a little taller than Scully. But she was--  
  
"Emily." she gasped, and sat hard in a pew. "How--"  
  
"Even an angel must grow--to fit her wings." the girl answered, sitting next to her. "You'll find him, mom. I promise. You two have a lot to do."  
  
Emily smiled and got up. "I have to go."  
  
"No--"  
  
"I'll be back. You're going to need me. You'll see me again soon."  
  
And she was gone. The church was dark and silent. And the priest was nowhere in sight.  
  
  
***  
  
Bethesda National  
  
December 4  
  
12:00 AM  
  
  
The body lay still. A monitor beeped. No one would remember who put him there. And the only personal effect besides his clothes was a note addressed to Dana Scully...  
  
  
End Part 5/??  
  
  
  
***There are some children who will never see their first birthday. Some will not witness the birth of their baby brother, or ride a bike. Some won't graduate into high school or tease a friend about who they like. These are the angels that guide us the best, for they mature in heaven and they learn in heaven and they know no evil, for they have never experienced it. And whn a mother sees her child grown, of mature height and age, she needn't be afraid. Because even if they'd been only two feet tall at the time of their deaths, even angels need to grow to fit their wings.*** 


	6. Principals VI

PRINCIPALS VI  
  
Archive: Yes, please! Just let me know where...  
  
Spoiler: Oh, absolutely everything. Requiem hasn't happened, though.   
  
Rating: R for language  
  
Classification: MSR  
  
Disclaimer: (As the Mad Hatter in Disney's Alice in Wonderland) Not mine, not mine, not mine! Although I can't help but think they're in better hands with me than CC... g.  
  
Feedback: Please!  
  
Notes: Ok, here we go again. This is the sixth installment of a story that decided to become a series without consulting me. Rather rude of it, wouldn't you say? I'm trying my best to continue giving you, the readers, what you want, and I hope I haven't disappointed. Just in case you're wondering, YES, I do know where this is all going. And I'm working towards the end. I've been doing this for about two years now, and that's the longest I've ever worked on any work of fiction, be it fanfic or my other books. Anyway, I worked hard on this, so here it goes. Enjoy...  
Silver Beauty  
  
  
Principals VI  
  
  
December 4, 2000  
  
Bethesda National  
  
2:00 AM (34 hours)  
  
  
Someone was holding his hand.  
  
Mulder fought to open his eyes until he saw Scully looking at him, worried.  
  
"You ok?" He asked groggily.  
  
"Me?" She stammered. "Mulder, you're the one in the hospital bed--"  
  
"The *chip*, do you still have it?"  
  
"Yes. No one's tried to take it." She sighed. "You up to answering a question for me?"  
  
"Shoot."  
  
"What the hell happened?"  
  
"We were--uh..." He flicked his eyes to the door and back.  
  
"It's ok, we're alone."  
  
"'K. We were sleeping, and I felt a breeze. I sort of half awoke and you heard someone and went for your gun. They got you in the back of the head and you blacked out."  
  
"You know it was?"  
  
"Yeah." He paused.   
  
"*Well*?"  
  
"Tom Colton."  
  
"Oh my God."  
  
"Scully, you have to believe me."  
  
"Oh, I believe you, Mulder. I just--think you should get some sleep."  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"I'll be back, Mulder, don't worry. I'll take care of this."  
  
"Scully."  
  
"Sleep." She kissed his forehead and headed out. "I'll be back."  
  
  
***  
  
Apartment of Tom Colton  
  
3:30 AM (32 1/2 hours)  
  
  
"He's not at work, it's too early." Scully said to her boss as they rang the buzzer. "Way too early. God, what *possessed* him?"  
  
Skinner shook his head. "I don't know."  
  
A scream. Suddenly their guns were out and they were kicking down the door.  
  
"Where is he?"  
  
"Fourth floor."  
  
They raced upstairs and found an old woman standing there.  
  
"Ma'am, what happened?" Scully asked. All the woman could do was babble incoherently. "Stay with her, sir." She took off down the hallway.  
  
"What?" But she was gone.  
  
Colton's door was open. She ran in and nearly tripped over his body.  
  
"Dead? Skinner came up behind her.  
  
"Execution style. God, what a mess." She reached down and felt the body. "Not more than a few hours." Then she looked up. "And that's my gun."  
  
"You've got a solid alibi, agent, you were with me. No one's going to frame you for this."  
  
"Did the woman in the hallway see anything?"  
  
"No. She just heard shots, and that was all it took."  
  
She sighed. "I need to talk to Mulder."  
  
  
***  
  
Bethesda National  
  
4:30 AM (31 1/2 hours)  
  
  
Scully was apprehended by a doctor on the way in.   
  
"Agent Scully?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I'm Dr. Roberts, I'm in charge of Agent Mulder."  
  
"Ah, yes, doctor. Have you figured out what's wrong with him?"  
  
"I--" the doctor showed his amazement, raising his arms in the air. "The best way I can put it is cancer."  
  
"Oh, God--" She seemed to be asking Him for more and more help lately.  
  
"No, it's *not* cancer. It just seems like it. Basically what's happening is there are some bad blood cells attacking his whites, which are disappearing as fast as the bad ones are reproducing."  
  
"What's the prognosis?"  
  
"We think that once the white blood cells are gone, they're going to attack the artery walls. Begin bleeding internally. Then maybe even go after his major organs. Heart, liver..."  
  
Scully could only stare in disbelief.  
  
"He's not in any pain. But if the course it's taking continues, we're not going to be able to do anything for him. We don't know how to treat this. The best we can do is study it... and keep him comfortable."  
  
"No."  
  
"No?"  
  
"I don't believe you. I want to see his tests, his blood workup. Have you tried filtering it? I know it's a radical procedure, but..."  
  
"Agent Scully, I think you're underestimating what I've said. There is *nothing* we can do. I'm sorry. Does he have family to be notified?"  
  
"No. But I'm not giving up on him."  
  
"Agent..."  
  
"I am a doctor. I've had cancer. It's gone now. It was a miracle, but I've seen enough to believe in them. Mulder is not going to die."  
  
The doctor sighed. "Look, Agent Scully, I don't want to pry, but how close are you and Agent Mulder exactly?"  
  
"We're partners."  
  
"So you're close. You might want to spend this time with him before..."  
  
"Before what?"  
  
"Before it's too late."  
  
Scully shook her head slowly, backing away from him. "I have to save him."  
  
The doctor watched sympathetically. Scully swallowed hard and blinked back tears.   
  
"I have to."  
  
  
***  
  
6:00 AM (30 hrs)  
  
  
Scully ran a weary hand through her hair. Her time in the lab had told her only what she already knew. Mulder was dying.  
  
And she had no idea what to do.  
  
Pausing at Mulder's door, she took a deep breath. She was going to have to tell him the truth. Mulder would be able to tell if she was lying to him. Licking her lips, Scully pushed the door open.  
  
Inside, Mulder lay on his back attached to an obscene number of wires and machines. Their steady beeps and clicks set the scene for her. This was medical. She could handle this.  
  
Mulder started to sit up, but she waved him back down and took a seat.  
  
"You're not holding my hand." He cracked. "Can't be that bad."  
  
Mulder knew.  
  
"The doctor told you." She whispered.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Mulder, we are going to fight this."  
  
"Can we? Scully, I'm not a doctor. But even I can tell it doesn't look good."  
  
"Regardless. Mulder, I called for Father McCue for my Last Rites when I thought I was going to die of cancer. But I'm still here--and on the strength of *your* beliefs."  
  
"That was different."  
  
"How?" Scully demanded. "The way you're talking, it--"  
  
"Scully. I just don't want you killing yourself over a cure that doesn't exist. And if the time comes when I only have a few hours..."  
  
"Mulder--"  
  
"Dana." His tone stopped her. "Don't take that time from me. If there's no hope, I want to be with you as much as I can."  
  
Scully sniffed and blinked back tears. She nodded once and the promise was made. Rising slowly, she kissed his forehead and brushed a lock of hair aside before moving back.  
  
"I have some tests to check on." She said softly.  
  
"Ok."  
  
Scully almost ran into Skinner on her way out the door. He didn't look happy.  
  
"Agent Scully, may I have a word with you?"  
  
"Sir..." she extended an arm in the direction of the labs.  
  
"We'll walk, then."  
  
Uh-oh.  
  
As they started down the hallway, he spoke.   
  
"Agent Scully, are you and Agent Mulder together?"  
  
Scully stopped and looked at him. "I'm sorry, sir, could you rephrase that question a bit more clearly?"  
  
"You know full well what I'm asking you, Agent. Have you and Agent Mulder engaged in consensual sexual intercourse?"  
  
"No, sir."  
  
"Would you be willing to take a polygraph test?" Scully worked her jaw but remained calm. All in good time.  
  
"Yes, sir. That is not the basis of my relationship with Agent Mulder."  
  
"Off the record. A friend asking a friend."  
  
"It would still be the same answer."  
  
"Would it?"  
  
"Are you accusing me of lying to you?"  
  
"Agent Scully, you and Agent Mulder are close. I've said that to you before. And now I'll say this. Even while I believe you, there are others who won't."  
  
"Why are you asking anyway, sir? What brough it up?"  
  
"One of the members of the investigative team asked. They thought maybe he wanted to stay with you the night he was taken so you could... you know."  
  
"How does that pertain to the investigation, sir?"  
  
"It doesn't. I'm sure you know there are pools circling everywhere about the two of you. This man just wanted to know. But if I didn't ask you he'd get nosy and go to the director. As of right now you've answered... and the subject is closed."  
  
Skinner turned and started away, then stopped.  
  
"Be careful, Agent. They'll use anything."  
  
Scully slowly exhaled. That was close.  
  
  
***  
  
Lone Gunmen Headquarters  
  
12:00 AM (24 hrs.)  
  
December 5  
  
  
"It's me, open up!" Scully knocked on the Gunmen's door. A few moments later, Frohike swung it open.  
  
"Agent Scully. To what do we owe the pleasure?"  
  
"Whatever bastard did this." she pushed her way through, giving Frohike copies of all the test she'd run. Byers and Langly came in.  
  
"Agent Scully--what's going on?" Byers asked, pulling on a robe.  
  
"Mulder's dying." she said. "We're racing time on this. Those are copies of test results, do you recognize anything?"  
  
"You mean from abductees?"  
  
"I mean from anything. Abductees, cattle mutilations, I don't care. I just want to know what's going on."  
  
"Anywhere you'd like us to start?" Byers asked, sitting at the computer.  
  
"Y--yeah. Actually. The FBI."  
  
  
***  
  
4:00 AM (20 hrs.)  
  
  
"Got something." Frohike proclaimed.  
  
"What? In Colton's computer?"  
  
"No. On a hunch, I ran through his boss' computer, thinking maybe he was under orders. A match showed up in the assistant director's program."  
  
"Not Skinner," Scully said, unable to believe it.  
  
"No. Kersh."  
  
  
***  
  
5:00 AM (19 hrs.)  
  
  
"He's probably here already." Scully said to herself. "This had better work."  
  
"It's for Mulder. We'll make it work." Langly said confidently.  
  
"You know the plan?" she asked.  
  
Scully and Frohike would have no problems getting in with her clearance. Once there, Frohike would pick the lock on the door. Kersh would not be in his office; from the nearby park, Byers and Langly would use a dubbing of the Director's voice chewing him out over something. Scully had listened to the tape. It was very good. It would tell him to go to his office. Then they would call the Director's secretary, as her boss, and tell her to make him sit and wait.   
  
If everything worked.  
  
  
"Ok, let's go." Frohike expertly hacked into the computer and went straight to an unmarked directory.  
  
"Where's this?" he asked, tapping the screen.  
  
"I don't know. Looks like something in the older part of town. You know..." she said, tapping the screen as the map printed out. "You shouldn't be in this business if you're stupid."  
  
  
***   
  
Unknown location  
  
6:00 AM (18 hrs.)  
  
  
Scully pushed the door open and surveyed the room in dismay. An hour of driving for this?  
  
The entire room was in shambles.  
  
"Is there anything we can use here?" she asked no one, wishing the Gunmen had come.  
  
There was nothing she could use. Now what? She made her way out into another hallway and stopped short. Two voices were coming from a room down a ways. She paused by the door and flattened her back against the wall.  
  
"Do you have the final batch?" she peeked around and saw Kersh answer the speaker phone.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You know how to dispose of it."  
  
"Yes."  
  
*No!* Scully thought frantically. The antidote? Or whatever poison Mulder was given? She had to get it. But she looked in again and he was gone.   
  
"Damn it." She hissed, and ran outside. No one in sight. As soon as she got back to the car, she called the Lone Gunmen in their surveillance van.  
  
"Lone Gunmen."  
  
"It's Scully."  
  
"Oh, hey, listen, traffic's picking up and we're getting some weird looks. You about done out there?"  
  
"Why aren't you watching him?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"He's here--and he has something, but I lost him. You were supposed to make sure he didn't follow me!"  
  
"Agent Scully, you must be mistaken." Byers said soothingly. "We've been here all this time and he's just now returned to his office. He's not doing anything."  
  
"Correction." Frohike's voice came on the line. "He's picking his nose."  
  
Scully rolled her eyes. "Then who did *I* see?"  
  
"Are you sure it was him?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Clone?"  
  
Scully sucked in a breath. "Or an alien bounty hunter."  
  
"My love!" Frohike crowed.  
  
"Why would *he* want it?"  
  
  
***  
  
8:00 AM (16 hrs.)  
  
FBI Headquarters  
  
  
"Agent Scully, do we know anything more?" Skinner watched her face carefully.  
  
"A little. I believe there may be an antidote, but it isn't anywhere that can be found."  
  
"So what, then? That's it?"  
  
Scully sighed. "I can't think like that. There has to be something *something*."  
  
"How's Agent Mulder doing?"  
  
"Not good. I'm on my way right now."  
  
"Go."  
  
  
***  
  
9:00 AM (15 hrs.)  
  
Bethesda National  
  
  
"Hey, Scully, look what I can do." Mulder said upon her entrance. He picked up a cube of jell-o and attempted to balance it on his nose. She smiled weakly and sat down. Mulder tossed the jell-o in the garbage can, where it landed with a hollow thud.  
  
"Scully, you need to get some sleep." he said firmly, looking at her. "You look like *you* should be in the hospital."  
  
She shook her head. "I'm still not giving up..."  
  
"I'm not asking you to give up. I'm asking you to take a break. Take a nap. You'll think better."  
  
"Ok." she finally aquiesced. "You're right. You're right."  
  
Mulder smiled at her and pointed to an empty cot in the corner.   
  
"I knew you would be back."  
  
Scully was asleep in moments.  
  
  
***  
  
Unknown location  
  
10:00 AM (14 hrs.)  
  
  
Krycek had just reached his door when the bounty hunter stepped out of the shadows.  
  
"Mr. Krycek. I assume you know who I am."  
  
"This your real face? Surely you can do better."  
  
"Aren't we pleasant? But I'm not here for that." he pulled out a vial. "Agent Mulder is going to die in approximately fourteen hours."  
  
"Works for me."  
  
"You are going to steal his dead body and bring him here. Inject this into him and he will live."  
  
"I think you can imagine why I would say no to that particular plan."  
  
"You don't have a choice. And before you do that you will wait for Agent Scully in the west stairwell of Bethesda National. Two men will attack her. You will not let them. Kill them, shoot them, whatever."  
  
"And *why* don't I have a choice?"  
  
"Surely you've heard of the horrible things that happen to abductees..."  
  
Krycek slammed the door in his face.  
  
  
***  
  
12:00 PM (12 hrs.)  
  
Bethesda National  
  
  
"Scully." Mulder was calling her. "Scully, get up."  
  
"What is it?" she rolled over slowly and managed to get up. "You ok?"  
  
"Doctor wants to talk to you." he didn't sound hopeful.  
  
"Mulder." Scully checked to see if they were alone, then kissed him. "Don't--"  
  
"My hunches often prove correct, Scully." the gleam in his eyes was fast fading.  
  
She shook her head defiantly, but before she could speak someone came in.  
  
"Agent Scully." The doctor gestured. "May I speak with you?"  
  
Scully bit her lip. "This is *not* over." she whispered, and followed the man out.  
  
The doctor didn't waste words.  
  
"There's been a change. I'm afraid Agent Mulder is getting worse. By my estimation he has no more than twelve hours to live."  
  
Scully closed her eyes. "We've done everything we can."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
She blinked back tears. "Can you leave us alone?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
Scully stepped back into the room. Mulder looked at her and she began to shake. The only way she could stand was leaning against the door.  
  
"Give it to me straight, Scully." Mulder said, laying on his back and staring with eyes closed at the ceiling.  
  
"They think twelve hours." She almost sobbed the last word, caught herself. "I don't think there's anything to be done."  
  
"You're right."  
  
  
***  
  
2:00 PM (10 hrs.)  
  
  
Scully had called Skinner, who said he would be there as soon as he could. She had called her mother, who had been appropriately sympathetic.  
  
There was no one else to call.  
  
A clock ticked.  
  
The windows were open and a slight breeze permeated the dusty sunlight.  
  
Aside from the two agents, the room was empty.  
  
Scully knew that when the sun was gone, their time would draw to a close. She wanted to take it and pull it back, keep it forever. But the sunlight fell on Mulder's hand, and holding that was the best she could do. There was a horrible tightness in her chest that, as each hour had gone by, had worsened. Mulder still hadn't spoken a word.  
  
The clock ticked.  
  
"Hey Scully?" Finally he spoke. "Is there any way you could sit with me? Here?"  
  
Immediately she moved to stretch herself along Mulder's lanky frame, closing her eyes slowly as he pulled her close. To never feel this again, to never hear his voice, to never see him...  
  
"How are we going to explain this if Skinner comes in?" He asked, kissing her head.  
  
"Who cares?"  
  
"I do. Even after I die, they could still fire you. For hiding it."  
  
Scully's derisive snort coupled with the shaking of her head told him all he needed to know. She didn't care.  
  
  
***  
  
4:00 PM (8 hrs.)  
  
  
When Skinner knocked on the door, no one answered. Fearing the worst, he swung it open and stumbled in.  
  
Dusk was falling and the room was dark. The beam of light that fell from the hallway glanced upon Mulder, asleep. Scully was kneeling at his bedside, his hand in hers. She stood and turned around.  
  
Skinner realized he had never seen Scully cry openly in front of him before--at least not that he could remember. But here she stood before him, tears shining on her face.  
  
"Agent..." he said softly. She sighed and followed him into the hallway.  
  
"Sir. I'm glad you're here." Scully closed the door and crossed her arms over her chest. "You understood everything I told you."  
  
"Yes. Unfortunately."  
  
"They're saying he has until midnight." her voice broke. "Sir, that only gives him about eight hours."  
  
"I know." He sat down in a standard issue hospital chair outside the door. "Go on back in, Agent. I'll make sure no one bothers you."  
  
Scully managed a weak smile and returned to her partner.  
  
  
***  
  
7:00 PM (5 hrs.)  
  
  
Time was flying. Scully had finally turned a lamp on, but it's dreary light only served to make the room glow eeriely.  
  
"It's astounding. Time is fleeting. Madness... takes it's toll." Mulder said in dry monotone. Scully almost laughed. Only Mulder.  
  
But his goal was to make her laugh. He wanted her to. He tried again.   
  
"Well, as long as they can think, we'll have our problems."  
  
"Plan 9 from Outer Space." She said immediately.  
  
"How 'bout this one?" he changed his voice. "My sniper zombies are everywhere..."  
  
"Agent Scully..." the doctor came in. "The nurse has to give Agent Mulder a shot. And I need to speak with you."  
  
"But I'm all right..." Mulder groaned, winking at Scully.  
  
"Caddyshack." she half-laughed. The doctor pulled her out.  
  
"I'm worried." Scully stared at him.  
  
"What now?"  
  
"He appears to be delerious. I'm not sure what could have brought it on..."  
  
"Delerious." she wiped a tear of mirth from her eye. "Doctor, that's not delerium. That's Mulder being Mulder."  
  
  
***  
  
10:00 PM (2 hrs.)  
  
  
Time was still flying. Mulder had grown tired and quiet as the hour drew near. Scully was sitting next to the bed. The lamplight glinted off her cross...  
  
"Scully." he gasped. "I almost forgot. Bring my bag over here." he pulled a small box out and motioned for her to come closer. When she did, he pulled her into a hug and began to manipulate the clasp of her necklace. When he let go, a gold band clinked against the cross.  
  
"What?" she asked softly.  
  
"Wear it for me. When I come back to haunt you I expect to see it there."  
  
Scully tried to smile, but failed miserably. "God, Mulder..." she whispered, kissing his hand and holding it close to her. "What am I going to do without you?"  
  
  
***  
  
11:30 PM (1/2 hr.)  
  
  
Mulder could barely move. He was in absolute and total agony. But he was lucid. Finally, Scully couldn't stand it anymore.  
  
"Mulder." she spoke through choked tears. "Do you want to go?" The pain in her eyes almost killed him right then and there.  
  
"How much time do I have?"  
  
"Half an hour. But you're in pain. This isn't right."  
  
He sighed. "I don't want to leave you, Scully."  
  
"You won't." she steadied her voice. "You promised to haunt me, remember?"  
  
"I promise."  
  
Scully leaned over and kissed him, stopping only when her tears threatened to fall from her eyes into his. When she pulled away, Mulder's eyes were glassy.  
  
"How is this going to work?"  
  
"I'm going to give you a shot. I'll clear it with the doctors. It will be absolutely painless. You'll fall asleep... and just never wake up."  
  
And so it was done. Scully got the syringe and stood before her partner. She didn't bother to hide her tears.  
  
"I love you, Mulder." she said softly.  
  
"Forever." he answered in kind. She injected the solution.  
  
Moments later, he flatlined.  
  
  
End Part VI/??  
  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTES: It's astounding... blah blah blah is from Rocky Horror Picture Show, it isn't mine. Neither is Plan Nine or Caddyshack or that stupid X-Files Movie with the sniper zombies.  
  
Please don't send me any death threats or flames. Chapter seven is already on the way. Ok? Calm down. Thanks muchly. Bye bye for now! 


	7. Principals VII

PRINCIPALS VII  
  
Archive: Yes, please! Just let me know where...  
  
Spoiler: Oh, absolutely everything. Requiem hasn't happened, though. Or Within, Without, or any of that stuff.  
  
Rating: R for language  
  
Classification: MSR  
  
Disclaimer: (As the Mad Hatter in Disney's Alice in Wonderland) Not mine, not mine, not mine! Although I can't help but think they're in better hands with me than CC... g.  
  
Feedback: Please!  
  
Notes: Ok, here we go again. This is the seventh installment of a story that has become that major work of my life. I'm trying my best to continue giving you, the readers, what you want, and I hope I haven't disappointed. Just in case you're wondering, YES, I do know where this is all going. And I'm working towards the end. I've been doing this for about two years now, and that's the longest I've ever worked on any work of fiction, be it fanfic or my other books. Anyway, I worked hard on this, so here it goes. Enjoy...  
Silver Beauty  
  
  
Principals VII  
  
  
***"I love you, Mulder." she said softly.  
  
"Forever." he answered in kind. She injected the solution.  
  
Moments later, he flatlined.***  
  
  
December 5, 2000  
  
Bethesda National  
  
11:50 PM  
  
  
Skinner heard the door open and put down the file he'd been reading. Scully closed it behind her and leaned against it, biting her lip so hard she drew blood. He got up and approached her slowly.  
  
"Agent?" He asked carefully. She shook her head.  
  
"Where's his doctor? I have to pronounce him."  
  
Skinner stared. "He's--"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Oh, D--"  
  
"Where's the doctor?"  
  
"On the next floor down. But the elevator's broken--use the west stairwell, it's right there."   
  
Scully resolutely went toward the stairs. As soon as it closed behind her she saw something out of the corner of her eye and ducked instinctively, rolling away. A bullet ricocheted off the railing. A second man grabbed her arms from behind and pulled her to her feet, holding them behind her tightly. Scully tried to wrestled free, failed.  
  
But then, the gunman fell back against the wall and sagged back. His head jerked back as if someone had socked him. Then the man holding her began to gasp, and she broke free to see him struggling to breathe.  
  
Soon he, too, dropped to the ground.  
  
Scully touched her necklace.  
  
The ring was unnaturally cold.  
  
Up on the stairwell the next flight up, Krycek watched in shock as Scully felt first one man, then another for a pulse. Her stunned face and quick jump to her feet told him all he needed to know. They were dead. She raced down the stairs. What the hell was that? But he had to get moving and steal Mulder's body before Scully came back.  
  
  
***  
  
12:10 AM  
  
Bethesda National  
  
December 6  
  
  
Scully stopped dead in her tracks, causing the doctor to stumble into her back.  
  
"Where is he?" she asked, running into the room. "Oh my God..."  
  
"Someone took the body."  
  
"What?" Skinner ran in. "I didn't leave this door. No one went in or out."  
  
"The window's open." Scully said dully. "There goes our autopsy."  
  
"Yeah, I climbed out."  
  
"What?" she exclaimed. The men looked at her as the Muldervoice in her head continued.  
  
"Easy, Scully, or they're gonna think you're as crazy as me." Mulder was sitting in the chair she'd previously occupied.  
  
"Agent Scully, are you ok?" The doctor asked. "Here. Sit down." He dragged the empty chair to her side.  
  
Scully blinked and Mulder was gone.  
  
"He's dead, isn't he." She said, slowly sitting.  
  
"I'm afraid so, Dana." Skinner answered. "I'm sorry." Scully shook her head. "Scully... I'm sorry. I know this is a bad time to ask, but... how close were you and Agent Mulder exactly?"  
  
"He was my partner."  
  
"My partner was killed in a shoot-out with an armed suspect. It was bad, but nowhere near what you're going through. What Agent Mulder went through before with you."  
  
"No offense, sir," she gasped, laughing and crying at the same time. "But you have no idea what it's like. Mulder and I are not exactly the norm."  
  
Skinner nodded. That answer was going to have to do for now.  
  
  
***  
  
Unknown location  
  
  
Krycek dropped Mulder's dead weight on a bed and pulled out the syringe. After carefully injecting it, he looked up at the bounty hunter standing nearby.  
  
"You can morph, why couldn't you have done it?"  
  
"I had a meeting."  
  
"Right." Krycek looked at the body. "How long is this going to take? I don't need him stinking up the place.  
  
"At least 48 hours."  
  
"Two days?"  
  
"There has been considerable damage to his internal organs and he's lost a lot of blood. It takes time to repair such extensive trauma."  
  
"Great. And I suppose I'll have to babysit him."  
  
"Of course. Good luck."  
  
  
***  
  
9:00 AM  
  
FBI Headquarters  
  
  
Scully walked into the office slowly. Nothing had been touched, but everything was different. It was empty. She sat in Mulder's chair and slowly spun around to look at his poster.  
  
I want to believe.  
  
What a joke.  
  
Believing had gotten them nowhere. It had ultimately sent Mulder to an early grave and she had almost joined him. Cautiously she felt the back of her neck. Was that what they had been after? And more importantly, how had she escaped? These were two grown men who were much bigger and much stronger than she. Astral projection?  
  
She scoffed at herself. Just because Mulder was gone didn't mean she had to fill his shoes. Astral projection. Right. Get a grip, Scully.  
  
But everything she'd ever seen with him came to the fore--especially Lauren Kyte. Was it really possible?  
  
Oh, Mulder, where are you?  
  
"Agent." Skinner's gruff voice came from behind her. "Why aren't you home?"  
  
"I am home." She said, her voice breaking slightly. She stood and faced him, raising her arms to the sides a little before dropping them helplessly. "Mulder said that once. This was his home, his life. It was mine, too." A tear escaped her eye. "And now he's gone." He started toward her. "Sir, I can't--"  
  
As she crossed her arms over her chest and looked at the floor, he came into her space and wrapped his arms around her loosely. Her posture never changed, though she allowed her head to rest against his chest.  
  
"It's ok, Dana." He said quietly. "Let go. He's at peace now."  
  
Her tears came slowly. The most sound he heard from her was a soft gasp and then she was silent again. Skinner closed his eyes and sniffed quickly. She was strong even when she cried. He felt privileged that she'd trusted him with her emotions.  
  
"Got some responsibilities too, you know."  
  
"Huh?" It was barely audible.  
  
"I mean it, Walter. Don't you *dare* hurt her."  
  
Skinner shook his head quickly. Damn if his conscience didn't sound familiar.  
  
  
***  
  
2:00 PM  
  
Apartment of Dana Scully  
  
  
Scully pushed the door open and sagged against it as it closed. She had accomplished exactly nothing all day and finally just went home to get some sleep. She'd been mortified at her behavior around Skinner. Never mind that she knew he wouldn't spread it around, never mind that she hadn't done the unthinkable and hugged him back. Never mind that he hadn't said anything but 'I'm sorry' before leaving--she had broken down.  
  
Dana Katherine Scully *did not* break down.  
  
"Anyway, it's not the first time Mulder's been dead," she reasoned.  
  
"You're starting to sound like me, Scully. Better look out for that."  
  
"Mulder." She gasped.  
  
"You're tired. Get some sleep."  
  
"Forever, Mulder?"  
  
"Wow, you're really tired."  
  
"You promised."  
  
"And here I--"  
  
"Mulder?" Scully lifted her now tear-stained face as if he'd be standing in front of her. But her apartment was devastatingly empty.  
  
  
***  
  
Unknown location  
  
  
Mulder's body jerked on the bed. Krycek watched for a minute, then turned to the bounty hunter.  
  
"I don't want him here when he wakes up. He'll be able to trace it back to me. And he's got a little bit of a grudge. I'd rather he didn't know where I was located."  
  
"Do you have any suggestions?"  
  
"I don't know. Why not dump him someplace safe?"  
  
"Such as?"  
  
"His apartment."  
  
  
***  
  
Apartment of Fox Mulder  
  
8:00 PM  
  
  
Mulder opened his eyes slowly. Was the world spinning or was it just him? He had a sneaking suspicion it was just him. He tried to get up, but very quickly realized that was a Very Bad Idea. Right up there with ditching Scully to run after Samanthas. What had happened?  
  
Slowly it came back to him. He had died. And Scully had done it. Would he have had the strength to do the same for her? He tried to roll over for the phone, but couldn't move. What the hell?  
  
He couldn't feel his toes. Tried to bend his knees, couldn't do it. Arms, fingers, neck. He was out of commission.  
  
"Scully..." he moaned. He summoned up all his energy and tried to force himself up. That was a Very Bad Idea too. A wave of nausea washed over him as the world went black.  
  
  
***  
  
Apartment of Dana Scully  
  
10:00 PM  
  
  
Scully had taken a long shower and now felt like something resembling human. But the empty void inside her was not helping. What was she going to do now? She touched the ring which had hooked itself around the cross charm.  
  
Faith and love.  
  
Faith in Mulder.  
  
Love for Mulder.  
  
Mulder is dead.  
  
Oh, God.  
  
Scully felt sick. She sank to the floor, drawing her knees to her chest and hugging them close. She was not going to cry again. She absolutely was not. No matter how sick, how absolutely...  
  
She ran for the bathroom.  
  
The phone rang a few times and the machine picked up. Her mother's voice came out, kind and concerned.  
  
"Dana? Please pick up the phone. Mr. Skinner called a while ago. I'm so sorry about Fox. Dana? Dana, if you're screening, pick up the phone."  
  
Scully blinked back tears and bit her lip, not moving from her position on the bathroom floor. Finally her mother hung up and she sighed in the silence. Thank God. She rested her head in her arms on the floor. What was she going to do?  
  
  
***  
  
Apartment of Dana Scully  
  
December 7, 2000  
  
3:10 AM  
  
  
Scully woke up in her bed. A tall man was standing in the shadows near the door.   
  
"Mulder?" She asked groggily.  
  
"No, Agent Scully. I'm sorry." Byers stepped into the light. "It's just me."  
  
"Oh." She sat up and was thankful to notice she was still in her work clothes. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"We heard about Mulder through unofficial chambers." He said, taking a step forward. "Langly and Frohike are back at the office, but they tried to call and when no one answered..."  
  
"Thank you," she said softly. "But I'm fine."  
  
"Agent Scully..." Byers began, then stopped. "No, Mulder always used to say when you said you were fine you were lying."  
  
Scully laughed shortly.  
  
"A--anyway, we aquired some surveilance tapes from the night his body was stolen."  
  
"And?" She got up.  
  
"Nothing. They were all sprayed with black paint. Can't see anyone."  
  
"Damn it!" She cursed.  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"Oh, it's not your fault." She moaned, massaging her temples. "Don't worry. We'll get them." Finally she looked up at him. "Oh... Byers, how did this happen? How did I go from an agent with a partner and case file and too much paperwork to this?" She shook her head. "Forget it. You don't have to be here, John."  
  
"Are you sure? Last time when we left Mulder alone and you were dying he almost killed himself."  
  
"*What*?" Scully stared at him and he took a step back. "What the hell are you talking about?"  
  
"Uh--w--well, he, uh..."  
  
"Spill it." Her voice was pure steel.  
  
"We have a security system at Mulder's place. Hidden cameras. He's the only one that knows about them, who knows how to turn them off for privacy. Uh..." Byers looked uneasy. "He's been doing that a lot lately. Was he seeing someone?"  
  
What a fabulous question for him to be asking at that precise moment.  
  
"Not that I know of. Could we get back on track now, please?"  
  
Byers stammered.  
  
"Uh... well, he started watching this cloning debate he had taped, an--and then he started crying, and he was holding his gun--"  
  
"What stopped him?" She whispered.  
  
"The phone rang. He started asking if they'd given you your cancer because of him."  
  
"Do you have the tape?" She asked softly.  
  
"I'm sorry?"  
  
"Do you still have the surveilance tape for that night?"  
  
"Well, we should, in our files."  
  
"Let's go."  
  
  
***  
  
December 7  
  
9:00 AM  
  
  
Scully wearily pushed the door open and tossed her keys on the table. The Gunmen had wanted to give her a ride home and it had taken her forever to convince them thaqt she would be fine on her own. She slid the tape in the VCR and a picture flickered on the screen.  
  
Tears were on her partner's face already. The light reflected off them and caused her eyes to water immediately.  
  
"Oh, Mulder..." she whispered. A gentle hand fell on her shoulder and she spun around. Emily.  
  
"It's ok, mom." She said quietly. Scully got up and faced her daughter.  
  
"Did he know?" She choked. "Did he know I never blamed him for any of it?"  
  
"Yes. At first he didn't, what you see here, but... you had faith in his miracle. That chip saved both of you."  
  
Scully shook her head. "That chip damned us."  
  
"I'm an angel, mom, so if you could watch your language..."  
  
"Right." She scoffed. "I'm sitting here talking to an angel. Is Barney tap-dancing on my table?"  
  
"Mom..."  
  
"Is he ok?" She asked quietly. "That's all I need to know."  
  
"He's fine."  
  
That was the last straw. Scully leaned back against the couch as tears began to fall. Emily held her tightly as she grieved yet again for what could never be.  
  
  
***  
  
Apartment of Fox Mulder  
  
1:00 PM  
  
  
Mulder woke again and everything came back. Cautiously he tested his arms, legs, found everything in working order. He was up and out the door in under two seconds.  
  
When he reached Scully's door, he hesitated. She thought he was dead. How should he handle this? Finally he just knocked on the door.  
  
Scully sat up, startled. Emily was gone. Someone was knocking on the door. She checked through the peephole, then barely managed to choke back a gasp. They were still after her. Her and that damn chip. Well, she wasn't going down without a fight.  
  
She stepped back and cocked her gun.  
  
"It's open," she called. Mulder entered slowly, head down, and closed the door. When he turned, his expression turned to shock and he raised his hands in the air.  
  
"Scully?"  
  
"What the hell are you?" She hissed, aim never wavering. Mulder gaped at her, hardly able to believe what he was hearing.  
  
"Scully, it's me." He offered inanely. She scoffed derisively.  
  
"Right. Just like the alien bounty hunter was you and Eddie VanBlundht was you. I don't believe you."  
  
"How can I convince you?" His voice threatened to break. "I know everything about you, Scully, just *ask*. Your mother's name. Your brother's name. Your *other* brother's name. Maggie. Bill. Charles." He took a step forward, but she took a step back, steeling her gaze and giving her head a slow almost-shake. "We were investigating Cecil L'ively when Phoebe Green of Scotland Yard showed up and seemed to give you a run for your money, even though I don't think either of us realized the depth of our involvement." One step forward, two steps back. He foraged on gently. "You convinced me not to give up after the x-files were shut down the first time, reminding me of George Hale and the telescope and the elves. You saved both our lives when we first encountered Modell, pulling that fire alarm, and then saved our lives again when his sister tried to make me kill you.  
  
"You just about destroyed me when you went to Philidelphia. You got a tattoo. You never told me whether you kept it or not, and I never asked the doctors. I think you kept it. I think you like it. I saw the design. I like it too." He dared to take one more step, and her retreat was shortened to half a pace. He went on.  
  
"We almost kissed each other in the hallway of my apartment building and I was so afraid you were going to leave me. I loved you, Scully. I still do.  
  
"I knew you were jealous of Diana, even if you'll never admit it, but she was *never* a threat to you. I was always yours." The gun was starting to tremble.  
  
"I taught you how to hit a baseball. I kissed you on New Year's Eve." Scully bit her lip, her eyes glassy.  
  
"I finally stopped acting like an ass and kissed you for real in my apartment, a while after regaining my sight.  
  
"I found you when Adams took you.  
  
"I lost my memory after getting knocked down a flight of stairs. You took me to Quanoncotaug to recover."  
  
"You're a ghost." she whispered.  
  
"You don't believe in ghosts." Mulder said softly.  
  
"Mulder?" A tear spilled out of her eye as she lowered the gun, clicking the safety on.  
  
"One and the same." He said, grinning at her.  
  
"Oh, God--" she dropped the gun and was suddenly in his arms, hugging his neck as his arms circled her waist.  
  
"It's ok." He mumbled into her hair. "It's ok, Scully."  
  
Scully pulled back and held his face in her hands, studying it.  
  
"Scully..." he breathed after a while. Slowly she leaned in, sliding her lips over his. Mulder let out a shuddering sigh of relief and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer. "I love you."  
  
  
***  
  
Apartment of Dana Scully  
  
8:00 PM  
  
  
"Scully?" Mulder put the fire tongs down and backed away a little. She came in from the kitchen and raised an eyebrow at the blazing fire. "Do you mind?"  
  
"No, no," she assured him, sitting on the floor. "But I thought you were afraid of fire."  
  
"Not when it's contained." He stretched and sat up, pulling her to sit closer to him. "Are you ok, Scully?"  
  
"Yeah." She sighed. "Mulder, the day you died, Skinner asked me exactly how close we were. He's not going to stop."  
  
"What did you say?"  
  
"Nothing. I was so in shock he didn't push me. I think I said something about us being closer than the norm, but not... that close. Or something."  
  
The light from the fire cast a glow on Scully's face that seemed to make her radiate from within. Mulder looked into the burning logs briefly and felt her gaze follow his face.  
  
"You know what the problem is?" She asked, voicing her opinion on the newest issue. "We're too attracted to each other."  
  
Mulder laughed softly. "Last I checked, that wasn't a problem."  
  
She smiled and looked once more at the fire before meeting his sincere gaze. "It is now. We need to be more careful, Mulder, or someone's gonna find us out. We can't let that happen, you know that."  
  
"Yeah." He tapped the ground with one finger three times, then cradled her cheek in his right hand. "But you'll find that if it'll keep you with me, Scully... I'll do anything."  
  
Scully wet her lips quickly and managed a tiny smile. Damn the man, he was turning her into mush. Special Agent Dana Scully, MD, FBI, did not like being turned to mush. Unless he was the one doing the turning.  
  
A different sort of fire began to grow within her, and the look in his eyes revealed that he felt very much the same way. Slowly he moved in, his mouth hovering a centimeter from hers, not quite touching. Gradually Scully tilted her head up a little, hesitated, then let her bottom lip run over his upper one. Mulder let out a breath at this slow carress, but didn't move. He finally angled his head to his right a bit, just as Scully did the same, and the dance began. Languid, passionate comfort turned to hard, fervant desire. Scully's hand came up and her fingers tangled in his hair, bringing him even closer. This was going to be their undoing.  
  
When finally the need for oxygen became overwhelming, they slid apart, their gaze never breaking. Scully blinked back tears at the thought that rather recently she'd almost lost this amazing man. Mulder lay with his front to the fire.   
  
"Come here, Scully." He said gently, holding out his hand. She turned and lay down with her back to him and pulled his hands together at her stomach.  
  
"What would I do if I lost you?" She whispered, one tear falling onto his hands. "If someone found out... if they told Skinner... you remember when I came to tell you I was being transferred to Salt Lake City. I think half the reason they wanted me there was because it was far away from you."  
  
"Yeah. The easiest way to get to me is through you."  
  
"And the easiest way to get to me is through you. It's dangerous--always was, even before this. But now... now they have something concrete."  
  
Mulder sighed.  
  
"But Mulder..." Scully sat up a little and ran her hand through his hair and down his face. "Hear me now, and listen well. I don't care what they do. I don't care who tells us we have to be apart. I don't care if you get sent off to Europe on foreign terrorism and I'm stuck over in Utah. I *will* find you. Always."  
  
"Oh, Scully..." Mulder gasped, then pushed her forward a little so she was flat on her back and then he was on top of her, kissing her fervently. Her arms reached around to circle his neck as his hands cradled her head.  
  
There was a knock at the door.  
  
"Yep, that'll be Skinner now." He murmured against her mouth.  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"Who else has that impeccable sense of timing?"  
  
"Mmm... good point."  
  
Scully sighed, then pushed Mulder gently. "Get off. How should we do this?"  
  
"I'll go hide in the bathroom. Invite him in and try to explain. I won't come out until you call me. I don't care how healthy Skinner is, we haven't given him a heart attack yet and I'd like to keep it that way."  
  
"Ok. Go, I bet he's getting impatient."  
  
Three more knocks punctuated her words.  
  
"All right, all right already." Mulder burried to the bathroom and closed the door. Scully opened her front door and, sure enough, it was Skinner.  
  
"Agent Scully." he said with a curt nod.   
  
"Yes, sir?"  
  
"Your mother asked me to come check on you. Said you weren't answering her calls and her car's in the shop so she can't come herself."  
  
"Sir, I appreciate your concern, but--" she sighed, smiled. "Um... come in. Please. Sit down." Scully closed the door and waved him to a seat. "I have something to tell you."  
  
"Scully, you're making me nervous."  
  
"Sir, uh..." Ok, time for the direct approach. "The reports of Mulder's death have ben greatly exaggerated."  
  
Skinner looked at her suspicously. "Agent Scully, the only report of Agent Mulder's death came from you. The doctors never saw him after you supposedly injected the solution. And I seem to remember you telling me Mulder was dead twice already. How am I supposed to believe this?"  
  
"Sir, how can you ask--"  
  
"Scully, I am just tired of being lead around by my nose. I need evidence, or I'm going to find myself cleaning up after you two again."  
  
"Ok, fine. How's this for proof?" She reached into her desk and pulled out a printout of his EKG. "His heart stopped. Look how long the line is. Agent Mulder's heart stopped for at least ten minutes. Possibly longer, depending on how long it was after I left before his body was stolen."  
  
"Stolen? He could've just climbed out."  
  
"Yeah... but having a working heart is definitely conducive to climbing out a fifth floor window and down a tree."  
  
"But isn't there a drug of some sort that can make your heart rate slow--"  
  
"*Slow*, not *stop*."  
  
Mulder pressed his ear against the door in frustration. What was taking so long?  
  
"Is he here?" Skinner asked finally.  
  
"Yes. I didn't want him to scare anyone."  
  
"Bring him out. Maybe he can explain all this."  
  
Scully heaved an indignant sigh, although she partly understood his frustration at being tricked so many times. Mulder heard her footsteps coming and backed away just as she swung the door open.  
  
"Mulder, the next time you die, you can inform Skinner yourself. Apparently I've lost my credibility."  
  
"I still love you." He offered weakly.  
  
Scully glared at him for a moment, then laughed. Reaching down, she pulled him up and kissed him swiftly.  
  
"Come on. Skinner want to hear what happened."  
  
Mulder followed her into the living room, where Skinner was disappointingly nonplussed by his apparent rising from the dea.  
  
"Agent Mulder. Is this going to become a habit?"  
  
"Hopefully not, sir."  
  
"So let's hear it."  
  
"It's kind of a long story."  
  
"With you, Agent Mulder, it usually is."  
  
Mulder grimaced good-naturedly and sat down on the couch. Skinner saw Scully start toward her partner, then change her mind and sit in a chair. He shook his head as Mulder began his story.  
  
*I'm sorry, agents. But I have to watch you. Don't give me a reason to have to act.*  
  
End Part VII  
  
  
NOTES: Ok, we're getting toward the end here, but I still have a pile of notes and excerpts that I've written that I want to put in that I need a place for. I still have an idea of where it's going, but it may be up to or more than ten chapters by the end. Oh well, I can only hope this is good news to you guys... :)  
Silver Beauty 


	8. Principals VIII

PRINCIPALS VIII  
  
Archive: Yes, please! Just let me know where...  
  
Spoiler: Oh, absolutely everything. Requiem hasn't happened, though. Or Within, Without, or any of that stuff.  
  
Rating: R for language  
  
Classification: MSR  
  
Disclaimer: (As the Mad Hatter in Disney's Alice in Wonderland) Not mine, not mine, not mine! Although I can't help but think they're in better hands with me than CC... g. I stole "Tempus Fugit" shamelessly from the x-files as well as Blast from the Past, or whoever said it first. Blast from the Past mentions the x-files, though. That's always fun. And Young Frankenstein is a rather funny movie, at least the first part. It belongs to itself.  
  
Feedback: Please!  
  
Notes: Ok, here we go again. This is the eighth installment of a story that has become that major work of my life. I'm trying my best to continue giving you, the readers, what you want, and I hope I haven't disappointed. Just in case you're wondering, YES, I do know where this is all going. And I'm working towards the end. I've been doing this for about two years now, and that's the longest I've ever worked on any work of fiction, be it fanfic or my other books. Anyway, I worked hard on this, so here it goes. Enjoy...  
Silver Beauty  
  
More notes: I am a believer that PMP was either a dream or an actual comic book but not something that actually happened. That's something you have to know so you don't go writing me saying Mulder and Scully did dance before. It's just not as special if it isn't their first dance.  
  
Even more notes: For Tea Cup-- I promise to put Skinner's glasses in here somewhere along the way. Any other requests?  
  
  
Principals VIII  
  
  
  
December 11, 2000  
  
FBI Headquarters  
  
8:45 AM  
  
  
"Mulder?" Scully turned on the lights and started toward the desk, then stopped. Who was in there? It didn't smell like Mulder. This person wasn't breathing like Mulder. With one practiced motion, her gun was out and trained on the dark room. "Who's there?"  
  
"It's just me, Agent Scully."  
  
"Oh, geez. Sir." Scully clutched at her necklace with one hand and holstered her gun with the other. "Why don't you have the lights on?"  
  
"They're out. I'll get the maintenence people down here."  
  
"Ah. Thank you. Um, what did you want?"  
  
"Everything's on the desk. But I have a meeting, so I have to go."  
  
"Yes, sir." Scully stepped around him to the desk, shrugging off her coat. "But--"  
  
He was gone.  
  
"Scully?" Mulder walked in, straining to see. "Why are the lights out?"  
  
"They're not working." She let go of her necklace and took it off, sliding Mulder's ring into her palm. "I almost forgot. I can't wear this, Mulder. Skinner was in here a second ago and I almost had a heart attack. If the lights had been on, he would've noticed."  
  
"Yeah." Mulder took it back and rolled it between his fingers, moving to his desk.  
  
"Mulder. What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Mulder?" Scully reached up to where she thought his face was, turning it toward her. "Mulder, I don't want to give it back, but how do you expect me to wear it? Someone *will* notice."  
  
Mulder turned his head and kissed her palm. "I know. I know." He pulled her closer and her arms circled his neck. "Scully..." he whispered against her forehead. "I don't know what I'd do without you."  
  
"Retain your theories? Not waste your breath explaining yourself when you were right all along?"  
  
"Yeah, well, that stuff is kind of overrated when you're dead." He stroked her cheek. "Hey Scully? Thanks for stickin' around."  
  
Her voice was smoky and low when she answered. "It was my pleasure."  
  
Slowly Mulder leaned down and somehow managed to find her lips with his. Scully's arms tightened around his neck and she pulled him ever nearer.  
  
Suddenly the lights came on full blast.  
  
"Oh God." Scully gasped as they jumped apart and looked at the door. Two seconds later the janitor appeared and walked in from down the hall.  
  
"Sorry about that."  
  
"About what?" Mulder's voice shook for a second. The janitor jerked his thumb upward.  
  
"Blown fuse. Fixed it up, though. You should be good to go."  
  
"Oh. Thank you." Scully turned away and sat in Mulder's chair, picking up the envelope with their names on it. Mulder spoke to the janitor a few moments more before clapping him on the back. When he came back and sat on the desk, she asked,  
  
"What was that about?"  
  
"Oh. Nothing important. What's that?"  
  
She raised an eyebrow at him, but let it go. "An, uh, invitation to a..." she slowly put it down. "A dinner-dance."  
  
"For who?"  
  
"Skinner. He's receiving a commendation for a case he worked on. Formal wear. And a note from him saying it would go a long way toward keeping the x-files open if we went."  
  
"Oh, you're kidding."  
  
"I wish I were." Scully leaned back. "How are we going to handle this?"  
  
"We, Cinderella, are going to the ball. You are going to dance with kind Skinner and kiss his royal ass, and I am going to get in with the director and see what I can do."  
  
"Don't you think that should be the other way around?"  
  
"Scully, I love you. But there is no way in hell I'm dancing with Skinner."  
  
"I meant if anyone's going to be talking to the director it should be someone who doesn't make it a habit to antagonize local law enforcement."  
  
"You wound me."  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"No you're not."  
  
Scully smiled and leaned back further, stretching. Mulder plucked the invitation from her hands.  
  
"This is for Friday."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Should we--" the phone rang. "Ah. Mulder." He listened for a few seconds, then hung up. "Skinner wants to see us."  
  
"I thought he had a meeting."  
  
"Maybe it's over."  
  
"Yeah, but..."  
  
"Look he didn't say why, but it's probably important if he's missing a meeting for it."  
  
"Yeah." Scully got up and followed him to the elevator.  
  
The doors opened and they stepped into the hallway just in time to hear a loud crash from Skinner's office.  
  
"Sir?" Scully broke into a run and burst into his office with Mulder close behind. Skinner was on the floor, dazed. "Sir, are you ok?"  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
"Yeah, right." Mulder looked from the shattered window to the bullet hole in the wall. "Someone wants you dead."  
  
"Really? How'd you come to that conclusion?" Skinner tried to sit up.  
  
"I don't think so." Scully was ripping his shirt open at the sleeve.  
  
"Agent Scully, what--" an agent was staring from the doorway.  
  
"Call an ambulance." Scully directed that at her partner, who was already on the phone. With one hand he shrugged off his jacket and managed to undo his tie and give it to Scully. The bullet had hit Skinner's arm pretty badly, but had only hit the side. "This is gonna need stiches." She felt his forehead. "Sir, would you lay down? You're going into shock."  
  
A crowd had gathered by now at the door, but neither agent noticed. Mulder knelt on the other side of his boss and faced his partner.  
  
"Where's that tie..." she wrapped it around his arm and cinched it tightly. Skinner winced and she looked at his face again.  
  
"Shit--where is that ambulance?" Scully got up. "Oh, great. Everybody, listen up! The situation is under control. But the EMT's need to be able to get through, so if you all--"  
  
The doorway was empty.  
  
"Wow." But that was all Mulder had time to say before the paramedics hurried in.  
  
"He's going into shock. Deep groove hit the artery..."  
  
Mulder listened as a whole lot of big words were exchanged, trying to figure out what they meant. Finally, Scully called an agent she felt somwhat comfortable trusting and sent him with their boss.  
  
When the door closed and they were alone, Mulder's arms came around her waist from behind and he nuzzled her neck.  
  
"You're amazing." his breath was warm and moist against her throat. She leaned back into him, guiltily enjoying their illicit embrace.  
  
"Hmm?" Her eyes slipped closed as he kissed her neck.  
  
"I don't know how you do it. Somehow... people just listen to you."  
  
"Oh, yeah--" she breathed out quickly. "Yeah, I can get anyone to listen. Except you."  
  
"Ah, that's not true."  
  
She scoffed and reached up, craning her head back and pulling him down to kiss her.  
  
"Ok. So what happened here?" she asked when they finally pulled apart.  
  
"More than a gunshot; look at that window. Think something was thrown through."  
  
"I'll get the slug." Scully pulled out an evidence bag and headed to the hole in the wall. Mulder started looking around and eventually zeroed in on the desk.   
  
"Here, Scully, look at this." Carefully working through the broken glass, he pulled on some gloves and cautiously picked up a small red brick. "Got a note."  
  
"'I'm coming.'" Scully put the bag down and stood next to him. "That's original."  
  
"Who's coming?"  
  
"And where?"  
  
"No return address."  
  
"You weren't expecting one, were you?"  
  
Mulder glared at her and put the note in a bag. "I don't think we're gonna get anything off of this, but..."  
  
"Standard font, looks standard ink..."  
  
"We should go see Skinner at the hospital, see if he knows anything."  
  
  
***  
Bethesda National  
  
10:00 AM  
  
  
Skinner reached again for the call button. The nurse wasn't coming... he started to get up.  
  
"Sir, what are you doing?" Scully entered the room.   
  
"Agent Scully..." Skinner groaned, laying back down. "Are you psychic?"  
  
"We'll talk later." Mulder said. Scully glared at him. "Meanwhile, we want to ask you some questions."  
  
"Go ahead," the patient said wearily.  
  
"Were you shot before or after the brick was thrown through the window?"  
  
"You're certainly blunt enough." Skinner watched Scully move into the shadows by the window. She never spoke, just observed the proceedings from her steel-eyed, cross-armed stance.  
  
She was making him very nervous.  
  
"Time isn't something Agent Scully and I usually have a lot of, sir. What happened?"  
  
"I don't know. I was at my desk when my secretary called me. The intercom wasn't working well, so I was headed to the door to ask her to repeat herself. Just after I got up, the brick was thrown. Immediately after that, the bullet. I didn't see who it was. I assume he was in a tree or something due to the projectory."  
  
"Sir, your secretary wasn't at her desk." Scully said softly. "And if I'm not mistaken, the bullet would've been in your other arm if you'd been going to that door." Still she remained in the shadows.  
  
"Well, I heard *something*. Perhaps I thought I heard her and when I saw she wasn't there, turned back to my desk..." he waved his hand.  
  
"Perhaps?" Mulder asked. "You don't sound so sure."  
  
"I did hit my head on my way down. I must be a little disoriented."  
  
"Must be." Mulder said thoughtfully. "Sir, do you have any ideas who might have done this?"  
  
"It's not like I have a shortage of enemies, Agent Mulder. It could have been any number of people."  
  
"Nothing sticks out in your mind from recently? No one got out of prison that you know about?"  
  
"Not that I know of, no."  
  
"So this man managed to shoot you in your office. He sent you a threatening note that says only 'I'm coming'." Off his look, Scully nodded. Mulder gave his boss the evidence bag. As he studied it, she continued to pace in front of the window. "And now on Friday you're having a dance that possibly everyone in DC will know about?"  
  
"Oh..." Skinner closed his eyes. "That headache is coming back."  
  
"You're going to need protection," Scully said.   
  
"Regular security won't cut it," added Mulder.  
  
"And I suppose a few undercover agents are in order?"  
  
"Can't imagine who you could use," Mulder said, leaning back.  
  
"Sir, you should let Agent Mulder and I protect you." Scully moved out of the shadows to stand near her partner.  
  
"I should call off this damned dinner." Skinner groaned.  
  
"You know the director will never go for that." Mulder said. "He's real big on the FBI protecting its own. Canceling would be a sign of weakness, to him."  
  
"We'd have to go undercover, but we've done *that* before," Scully said pointedly.  
  
"Ah. The Arcadia Falls thing. Sorry about that." Skinner said.  
  
"Make it up to us. Let us do this."   
  
"It'll make us feel a lot better," Scully coaxed.  
  
Skinner sighed. "Ok. Fine."  
  
  
***  
  
December 15, 2000  
  
6:45 PM  
  
  
The week passed uneventfully for all three agents. Besides increasing security and a new pane in Skinner's window, nothing had changed.  
  
Mulder was supposed to meet Scully at her apartment. Skinner would be leaving the Hoover building at 7:00, and they were escorting him.  
  
Scully looked in the mirror once more when she heard the knock. The long dark blue dress shimmered in the dim light of her bedroom. It looked similar to the one she'd worn on her excursion with CGB Spender, but this one was made for her.  
  
She heard the door open and close.  
  
"Come in, Mulder." she called, amused. He entered her bedroom slowly.  
  
"You'd rather I stayed outside and got my suit dirty?"  
  
Scully stared at his reflection in the mirror. As always, they were a perfect match. Mulder came up behind her and put his hands on her waist, smelling her hair.  
  
"We should get going." Scully said lowly. "If we're late..."  
  
"We wouldn't be us."  
  
"Mulder..."  
  
"Ok, ok." He spun her around and extended an arm. "Agent Scully."  
  
Mulder led her out to his car and they drove off. Finally they got Skinner to the dance safely.  
  
"Well, sir, you clean up good." Mulder said as they walked in.  
  
"As do the both of you. Was this planned?" he gestured to their matching outfits.  
  
"No, as a matter of fact." Scully said cooly. Then they entered the room and the fun began.  
  
A few hours later, the only thing that had gone wrong was a dropped salad fork. Skinner was getting antsy--well, as antsy as an ex-Marine can get, anyway. Finally, near the end of the evening, he snapped.  
  
"Agents. Why don't you go check the grounds?"  
  
"Sir, we--" Scully protested.  
  
"Agent Scully, for all we know, that note was a prank."  
  
"And so was the bullet, I suppose." Mulder said drily.  
  
"There are two agents I trust right over there. I'll stay with them. I'll stay away from the windows. Just--go get some fresh air. Please."  
  
They looked at each other.  
  
"Five minutes." Mulder said. "And you stay with them. Do not leave their sight, I don't care if you're going to the bathroom." He started to leave, then turned back. "Stay." He and Scully turned back and all eyes drifted curiously to his hand on her back as they left. Skinner glared at them.  
  
"What are you looking at?"  
  
  
Mulder led Scully outside to the tree line. She looked worriedly in the window at her superior, who was standing with a large group of his agents. Strains of music could still be heard from the inside, and all was peaceful.  
  
"Do you see something?" Mulder asked, pointing in the trees.  
  
"No..." but he was already pulling her in. When they could hardly see the windwos anymore, Scully stopped. "Mulder, no one's out here." No answer. "Mulder?"  
  
Suddenly he spun around and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her waist. "*I'm* out here." He tried to sound injured. "You know I've never gotten to dance with you." He whispered huskily. Scully's arms slowly came up around his neck and her head rested on his chest.  
  
"This is so normal." She said after awhile. "So why does it feel so strange?"  
  
"Because it's us." Mulder slowed their swaying so he could crane his head down to hers. The kiss was slow, passionate... long. When finally they broke apart, they leaned their foreheads together.  
  
"I love you, Mulder." Scully whispered.  
  
Suddenly the forest went even darker.  
  
"What happened?" Mulder looked out in the direction of the dinner. "The lights are out."  
  
"Oh, shit--" the agents broke into a run. Seemingly out of nowhere, Scully pulled out her gun.  
  
"Federal agents!" Mulder burst into the room.  
  
"Mulder, you moron!" came a voice behind them. One of his old VCS friends moved to the light switches. "We're all federal agents."  
  
"Where's Skinner?"  
  
"Off schmoozing, I suppose." he flipped the switch a few times with no result. "That's odd."  
  
"Scully..." Mulder said pleadingly. She nodded in the darkness and went downstairs, blinding groping for what might be the breakers.  
  
Upstairs, Mulder held his breath until the lights slowly flickered on. Scully ran back and found her partner ordering people around furiously.  
  
"I don't care if the lights went out!" he was yelling at some of the agents. Scully hurried over and put her hand on his arm.  
  
"Mulder." she said softly. He glared at nothing and let her lead him out of earshot. "I think you're just mad at yourself."  
  
"We shouldn't have left, Scully."  
  
"We can't worry about that now. Let's just concentrate on finding him."  
  
Mulder shifted his weight angrily. "I hate it when you're right."  
  
"I'll get people out there and let everyone know what's going on."  
  
Mulder looked around. "I've got a bad feeling about this." he moved over to the head table where Skinner had sat and began looking around. "Scully. Over here." He pulled her by the arm behind the table and pointed to the back of Skinner's chair. A sheet of paper with a skull and crossbones was taped to the back. Underneath was the slogan Tempus Fugit.  
  
"Time flies. What the hell does that mean?"  
  
It's a signature. How much you wanna bet it's from one of Skinner's old cases?"  
  
"We should go lok at his files." Scully said, heading for the door. Mulder grinned.  
  
"A woman of action."  
  
  
***  
  
FBI Headquarters  
  
11:45 PM  
  
  
"You know, Mulder, *this* is an office." Scully stood by the open file cabinet. "Files alphabetized, not stuffed haphazardly in the corners... easy location... legible writing..."  
  
"Complete lack of creativity..." Mulder looked in Skinner's in-box. "Look at this. Completely up-to-date." He made a disgusted noise in this throat and moved on.  
  
"Mulder, look at this." Scully pulled a folder out and spread it out in front of him. "It's the same thing. Tempus Fugit."  
  
"Louis Blacke. In the middle of serving twenty years as accomplice to attempted murder."  
  
"That seems light."  
  
"He had a really good lawyer."  
  
"Who's accomplice was he?"  
  
"Uh... it was never revealed. They couldn't get him to talk, and the case was dropped."  
  
"That sounds wrong."  
  
"That's what it says."  
  
"The *dropped* it?"  
  
"Apparently."  
  
"That doesn't make sense."  
  
"What does?"  
  
Scully shook her head. "We have to figure this out. If--" The phone rang and Mulder answered it.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Is your search... going well?"  
  
"*Geez!*" He whispered, snapping his fingers. Scully was already on her phone. "Very well, Mr. Blacke. We found your life story."  
  
"So you're running... a trace?"  
  
"I'm the only one in here, Mr. Blacke. How can I run a trace?"  
  
"You're not the only one... in there. Your little partner is talking on the phone... to someone."  
  
Mulder froze, looking out the window. Through the darkness, he saw a single window illuminated in the building across the street. A man waved jauntily and hung up the phone.  
  
"Shit!" He slammed the receiver down.  
  
"What? What?"  
  
"He's across the street!"  
  
"*What?*"  
  
Mulder burst into the sunlight with Scully close behind, just in time to see someone running down the sidewalk.  
  
"Hey!" He took off after him as Scully ran around the building to catch him head-on. When she came around, though, Mulder was talking with an angry man in a jogger's suit.  
  
"Mulder?"  
  
"I'm not a criminal! Do I *look* like a criminal?"  
  
"No, sir, you don't." Mulder said, impatient. "But the chance was too great to take the risk that you weren't him."  
  
The man scoffed and stalked off. Scully went up to her partner and put a hand on his shoulder. "We'll put out an APB. Someone'll find him."  
  
"Before or after he kills Skinner?" The Bureau doesn't negotiate with kidnappers, but it's an assistant director on the line now. We don't want him to get away clean *with* however moch money or whatever it is he wants, we only have one choice. I'm gonna hvae to profile him."  
  
Scully nodded.  
  
"No, Scully, I don't think you understand. I'm not going to be myself when I start this. You probably aren't going to want to be around me. I don't want to do anything..."  
  
"No--I understand." She reassured him. "It's what you have to do for Skinner." She looked around and lowered her voice. "I know it's gonna be hard, but I love you. I'm not going to let you go through this alone. Hell, Mulder, we've beaten death to be together. What's a little profiling compared to that?"  
  
Mulder smiled and glanced up for a second to make sure no one else was roaming the darkened streets before kissing her softly.   
  
"We're gonna be ok, Scully." He whispered, pulling her close. "I promise."  
  
  
***  
  
December 16, 2000  
  
3:00 AM  
  
  
***Darkness. Darkness and an uncontrollable, raw, blind pain that seemed like it would never go away. His face was wet. Why was he crying? He opened his eyes--but he didn't. He was home--but he wasn't. There was a picture in his hands. A small girl clutched a worn teddy bear and grinned toothlessly into the camera. The bear was a cream color, worn and well-loved. There was a visible hole in the side and one of the ears looked like itmight fall off at any moment. The girl wore a silver necklace with a rose charm dangling just above her shirt collar. One strand of her dark brown hair was caught and tangled in the chain, but she didn't appear to notice it. Brown eyes were wide open and white teeth showed promise of a perfect smile. It was such a happy sight. Why was he crying? Why...***  
  
  
"Mulder?"  
  
Scully started when her partner turned a tear-stained face to her. He was sitting at her couch in the living room, having stayed there "just a few more minutes" after she finally went to bed. She should have known better. Two hours later she had woken up alone and found him here...  
  
"Mulder, what is it?" She sat on the coffee table, bringing herself to his level and touching his face gently. "Are you ok?"  
  
"I was profiling."  
  
"You were in pretty deep. I've been here awhile and you never knew it."  
  
Mulder watched her close the file and set it aside, her meaning clear. That is enough.  
  
"I saw a picture. I was crying. Did Blacke have a daughter?"  
  
"It doesn't say in that file. We can check that out tomorrow. Right now you need to sleep."  
  
"Right now I need to concentrate." He made a move for the file, but Scully caught his face and brought his lips to hers fiercely. For a moment he knew only the softness of her kiss and responded in turn. But when it ended, when she pulled back, he had to say it.  
  
"Scully... I need to do this. I need to focus."  
  
"You trust me?" He didn't need to answer that. "This will keep for one night. It's only a few hours. Come on." She took his hand and pulled him from the couch and into the bedroom. "We can start again tomorrow." She lay down on her side and turned off the light. A few seconds later, Mulder was next to her, sliding his hand under her neck and lifting her head so he could kiss her thoroughly. Finally they broke apart, but Mulder wasn't done. She felt his mouth blazing a trail across her face until he stopped and began to give her earlobe the same treatment he'd given her mouth moments ago. Scully kissed his neck and whispered huskily, "Mulder as much as I'm enjoying this..."  
  
He stopped reluctantly. "I know. Sleep."  
  
"You got it." She smiled as he lay down without protest and both were dead to the world in seconds.  
  
  
***  
  
7:00 AM  
  
  
***The girl was back. This time there was no smile, no teddy bear, no necklace. Where was the necklace? She was laying down, but it was sunny outside. Somehow he knew this girl was supposed to be inherently active, so why was she asleep in the middle of the day? He reached out and touched her cheek. Her eyes didn't open. Her face was cold. Get a blanket--she's gonna get sick. There was no blanket. What kind of bed was this, anyway? Then his vision widened and he took a step back. An eternal bed. His pretty little girl was never going to get up again. She seemed so out of place with all those flowers surrounding her. Who brought flowers? Had the girl had friends? Why didn't he know that? He wanted to scream. Please, just wake up. Please. I promise I'll do better, please... please...***  
  
  
"Please... please..."  
  
"Mulder, wake up. Mulder!"   
  
Slowly his eyes began to open. He was flat on his back in Scully's bed, hands clutching the sheets. His partner was standing over him, worried. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a line from the movie Young Frankenstein flashed through his head. 'Doktor. You were having a Nachtmare!'  
  
"Scully?" He croaked. She handed him a glass of water from the nightstand. "I was--"  
  
"--having a nightmare? I could tell. Feel like sharing?"  
  
"It was more of the same." He motioned for her to lie down next to him and pulled her into his arms. She rested her head on his chest and listened carefully. "When I was in the living room earlier, I saw a picture of a young girl. Dark brown hair. Brown eyes. Maybe about five years old. Holding a teddy bear. I was crying, but I didn't know why. And then the dream... she was lying down. And I was won--I was wondering why, 'cause the sun was shining and she was supposed to be up and running around." His voice began to take on that husky tone that she loved, and she unconsciously relaxed even more into his embrace. Mulder kissed the top of her head and continued. "Then I realized she was in a coffin. I remember wondering if she had had friends, and being upset that I didn't know. Maybe I'm her father."  
  
Scully blinked. "You mean you were seeing through her father's eyes?" He didn't answer. "Mulder?"  
  
"Uh--yeah. Well, yeah. Of course."  
  
"So I guess the first thing to do is resolve the question of whether or not he had kids."  
  
"He had a daughter, Scully. I know it."  
  
"Well." Scully reached up and kissed him. "You know how fond I am of proof. Let's go get some."  
  
  
***  
  
10:15 AM  
  
Lone Gunmen Headquarters  
  
  
"You know, Mulder," Langly said grumpily as he opened the door. "You use that phone enough to call Scully. Why can't you give *us* a little notice?"  
  
"How late do you boys sleep, anyway?" Mudler asked, following Scully inside.  
  
"Depends on how late we were out partying." Frohike said, coming into the room. "Agent Scully, the light of my life." He boldly kissed her hand and winked. "Ravishing as always."  
  
Scully raised an eyebrow at her partner.  
  
"At ease, Frohike." Mulder waved the file under the older man's nose. "C'mon, we need some help. Familiar with the Louise Blacke case?"  
  
"Unbelievable." Byers came in. "We were outraged at his sentence.  
  
"You're gonna be madder." Mulder said almost flippantly. "He's out."  
  
"No way!" Langly was already pulling up his records.  
  
"And he's got Assistant Director Skinner." Scully said softly.  
  
"Shit." Frohike said, staring at her. "He's a good guy."  
  
"And sort of an asset to us, so we'd kind of like to get him back." Mulder saw Langly's strange look. "What?"  
  
"You been profiling, man?"  
  
Mulder shifted uneasily. "Yeah."  
  
"Whoa, dude." Frohike looked up from the folder. "You better be careful. You're too good at it."  
  
"I'm fine, Frohike." Mulder sounded annoyed. "Right now I need you to find everything on his personal life. Wives, lovers, whatever. I think he had a kid, but I need to know more. And I need it as soon as possible."  
  
"You got it, man." Langly got back to work. Byers pulled Scully aside.  
  
"You two have been partners for what, eight years now?"  
  
"Nine in March." She said automatically. Byers rose an eyebrow.  
  
"Wow. Anyway, I don't know if he's ever done any profiling during your partnership..."  
  
"Once. When Patterson brought him onto a VCS case. The gargoyles."  
  
"Ah, that one. I remember. Do you recall what Mulder's behavior was like during that case?"  
  
"It was erratic. I came to his apartment and found gargoyle pictures covering the wall."  
  
"It's kind of scary, what he can do. I know he wouldn't wish it on his worst enemy. He's gonna need you to be there for him a lot, without his being there for you. It's going to test your patience. But without you, Mulder would probably slip into those monsters' minds and wind up getting himself killed. You're his lifeline, Agent Scully." Byers looked at her seriously.  
  
"I know. I'll take care of him." She smiled reassuringly and started to go back.  
  
"And--Scully?" She stopped. "Mulder's like a brother to me, and I imagine you feel much the same about him. If you need someone while he's in deep... I'm here."  
  
She managed a small smile and moved back to him, touching his arm briefly. "Thank you, John." Then she left in search of the others. Byers sighed before following. She was going to have a rough time of it.  
  
  
"Bingo!" Langly said triumphantly. "Blacke's girlfriend. Carole Whalen gave birth to a girl on December 20, 1985. Carole died in childbirth. Blacke was nowhere to be found, so his father stepped in and took custody of the girl. Need anything else?"  
  
"Yeah. Is she still alive? Check newspapers, obituaries, hospitals..." Mulder's eyes were beginning to look glazed, and Scully went to stand by his side, putting a hand on his shoulder to bring him back to earth. He looked at her gratefully. A few minutes later, Langly sat back.  
  
"I don't know how you do it, man." He said, bewildered. "Right here. Debra Anne Whalen. Hit by a car right in front of her house in 1990. Apparently she ran out in the middle of the street."  
  
"Blacke's arrest should be around there somewhere, isn't it?" Mulder closed his eyes, and he was almost swaying back and forth. "A few days after the funeral."  
  
"Uh... right again." Langly said. Mulder was ghostly pale.  
  
"That's enough, Mulder." Scully said firmly. "You need some sleep."  
  
"No, Scully..."  
  
"Mulder, 'no' is not an option. Come on." She pushed him to an adjorning room with some couches. Frohike stopped her quickly before she turned around.  
  
"You should go too." He said seriously. All previous flirtations were gone. "Just for like an hour. You don't look so good."  
  
"Gee, thanks." She said drily.  
  
"Keep an eye on him." He replied.  
  
Five minutes later they looked in and saw Scully sitting on the couch with Mulder's head in her lap. Both were sound asleep.  
  
  
***The girl was staring at him without a glimmer of recognition in her eyes. For some reason, that really hurt. She was standing in a large mall, right across the way from him, holding someone's hand. He couldn't tell whose hand it was, but she gripped it like a lifeline. He began to fight his way through the people, inching his way to the girl. The hand tugged once and she looked away, was led away from him. He wanted to call out to her, but instead doubled his efforts to reach them. Sweat broke out along his brow as the crowd pressed closer and he began to lose sight of the girl. Then suddenly he was loose, and had only to run a few feet to see the face of the man holding her hand...***  
  
  
"Geez!" Mulder bolted up. "It's the dad! The dad's the key, Scully." He pushed himself off the couch and into the room, with his partner hot on his heels. "Find the dad. Is he alive? And I need a picture."  
  
"Got it." Langly said, pointing to the screen. "We were just checking that out. Dad died of a heart attack in '97. Picture loading... whoa."  
  
Scully stared at the driver's liscence photo of Louis Blacke's father--who could very easily have passed for Walter Skinner's identical twin.  
  
  
***  
  
12:00 PM  
  
  
"This is so textbook." Mulder paced up and down in his apartment. "I should have known. He blames his dad for the death of his daughter, so he's getting his revenge on Skinner--not only is there the similiar resemblence, but Skinner was also in charge of the case that put him in prison."  
  
"Debra's birthday would have been this Wednesday." Scully said, looking at him.  
  
"That could even be a deadline. I have to figure out where they are."  
  
"Ok. let's try--what?" She felt his warm gaze upon her and knew immediately what he had meant.  
  
"I'm gonna go again." He said softly.  
  
"Oh, Mulder. Are you sure?"  
  
"I have to."  
  
"It's just--I worry about you. I never know what's going on when you get started. I never know how deep you're going to go... even if you're ever going to come back. Isn't there any other way?"  
  
Mulder got up slowly. "Maybe. I'll think about it; gonna go for a run, clear my head."  
  
Scully nodded. She heard the door shut a few minutes later and looked up.  
  
The glow almost hurt her eyes. Emily was standing there with another girl.  
  
"Who are you?" Scully gasped, hardly aware that her own dead daughter's appearance no longer really shocked her.  
  
"Mom, this is Sarah. Walter Skinner's daughter."  
  
"Skinner's--" She sputtered.  
  
"Yeah." Sarah nodded. "Don't worry, I'm a good spirit. How bad could I be? I helped him pick out his new glasses. Guess you could call me his guardian angel."  
  
"Sort of like me." Emily smiled. "Mom, you have to get to him. Time's running out."  
  
"I don't know where he is." Scully said, hanging her head.  
  
"Hey." Sarah tried to get her attention. "That's what we're here for. You know the Botanic Gardens. There's a section made up predominately of rose bushes. An old tool shed is behind it. That's where they are."  
  
"I--" Scully grabbed for the phone. When she looked up, they were gone. "Mulder, please tell me you took your cell phone... please..."  
  
"Yeah?" He had answered.  
  
"I know where they are."  
  
  
***  
  
8:00 PM  
  
  
The agents had decided to wait until it was dark for the raid, unless their surveilance showed Skinner was being harmed. Mulder and Scully grew increasingly anxious until the time came, but Mulder found ways to amuse himself. One of the best ones was incessently asking Scully how she's known where Skinner was. She only bit her lip and promised to tell him later. Finally, everyone was in position. Mulder went first.  
  
"FBI! Freeze! Put it down, now!" Skinner was taped into a chair. Blacke was standing next to him, a gun to his captive's temple.  
  
"I suppose you know he's an assistant director." Mulder said. "Which means you've also know that some of these guys are a little trigger-happy."  
  
"Sir, it is in your best interests to put that gun down." Scully said.  
  
"Well, aren't you two cute." Blacke said sarcastically. "You know I saw you out in the woods that night. You were--"  
  
"Waiting for you. We knew it was you." Mulder said quickly.  
  
"No you didn't."  
  
"And now we know everything. We know about your daughter and about your father. But this man is not your father, Louis. He just looks like him. What do you hope to accomplish?"  
  
"My father let my little girl get killed!" He started to wave his hands around when a gunshot filled the room. Louis Blacke dropped, dead on the floor.  
  
  
***  
  
December 17, 2000  
  
2:00 AM  
  
  
Scully shut the door behind them and shrugged off her coat wearily. "The kid that shot him said he thought Blacke was going to shoot Skinner. He was a rookie, I don't know what he was doing there. But I guess it ended all right. Skinner's back, Blacke's taken care of... Scully?"  
  
She turned back to him. "Yeah?"  
  
"You gonna tell me about how you knew about all this?"  
  
She sighed. "I guess--I guess there's no easy way to put it." She looked up at him, trust filtered through her gaze and into his, knowing he wouldn't hold this against her. "I've been seeing Emily."  
  
"What?" He gasped, then automatically reached out to hug her tightly. She spoke against his shoulder as she went on.  
  
"She appeared when you were dead and told me it was going to be ok. Then I saw her earlier today, right after you left. There was another girl with her, said her name was Sarah. Mulder..." she pulled back. "She said Sarah was Skinner's daughter." Mulder stared at her, shocked. "I know. I had no idea. Maybe we can ask him sometime. But they told me where he was. So..."  
  
"So you acted on something your guardian angel told you."  
  
"My guardian angel." She muttered, half laughing. "I suppose so."  
  
"Ah, Scully." He kissed her softly. "I love you, you know that?"  
  
Scully smiled at him and took him by the hand, leading him into the bedroom and falling into bed. Slowly her tone became serious as he joined her. "We were lucky tonight, Mulder. It would have been so easy for Louise to just blurt out what he saw in the woods." She sighed. "I don't know how much more of this we can take."  
  
Mulder closed his eyes and pulled her close. "We'll bide our time, Scully." He said quietly. "We'll bide our time."  
  
End Part VIII  
  
  
Still MORE NOTES!!! First of all, I know that last part may have seemed a bit fast, and I apologize, but my spring break is almost over and it was my ultimate goal to finish it before I went back to school. And just so you know, I AM going to address the Sarah Skinner thing (Yes, Tea Cup, thinking of you when I chose the name... ;) are we having fun yet?) It just seemed like a good thing to do that might lead into a plot line or two later in the story. Yeah, there's gonna be more. Hop on and enjoy the ride. I'm taking a vacation. All this writing is giving me a headache... Stay tuned for Chapter Nine.  
  
Silver Beauty 


	9. Principals IX

PRINCIPALS IX

PRINCIPALS IX

Archive: Yes, please!Just let me know where...

Spoiler: Oh, absolutely everything up to season eight.Scully is not pregnant.Has not been pregnant.None of that crap has happened.Mulder is still hanging around.Ok?Krycek is not dead in this fic because even though they went and killed him on the show (or DID they?), I still need him for this story.Krycek-lovers rejoice!

Rating: R for language

Classification: MSR

Disclaimer:(As the Mad Hatter in Disney's Alice in Wonderland) Not mine, not mine, not mine!Although I can't help but think they're in better hands with me than CC... g.

Feedback:Please!

Notes:La dee da, part nine at your service... this is chapter nine of however many wind up getting written, just so you know.I realize there are a bunch of loose ends to be tied, and don't worry.I'm not Chris Carter (or AM I...?) and I don't do that mean stuff to my readers.So have fun...

More notes: Yes, there IS a difference between a smile and a Smile when it comes to Scully.That's not a typo.A smile is just one of those enigmatic little smiles she gives out every once and a while.A Smile is a full-fledged from-the-heart I'm-in-love-with-my-partner Smile.Just for your information.

Still more notes: There's a teensy bit of German in here, and because I'm only first year of that language, there might be some things wrong with it; missing umlauts and misspellings and wrong grammar.It's not my first language, just something I wanted to try.I'm sorry if it's confusing.

Even more notes: I have to thank DDs Tea Cup here for her invaluable help in writing this chapter.She kept me from making a rather fatal plot error that would've compromised the story's validity.Thanks a bunch, girlie.

Silver Beauty

Principals IX

December 22, 2000

Apartment of Dana Scully

Mulder rolled over, reaching for his partner's comforting warmth.It wasn't there.

"Scully?"He looked around the room.Her shadow fell across the floor and he got out of bed to see what was going on."What are you doing?"

"It's snowing."She replied softly.

"Wow."He circled his arms around her waist from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder."It's really coming down."

"Mmm.It's really pretty 'til you have to go out in it."

"Yeah."He kissed her neck softly."But we have to go to work.And that constitutes going out."

"I suppose.You going first today?"

"Yeah."Since they had started their new sleeping arrangements, it was decided that they should, for sake of appearances, arrive at work separately."You get Monday."

"Lucky me."She turned and kissed him soundly."You better go."

"Ok."He started to leave, then turned back and yanked her into his arms, bringing her lips to his forcefully.A good ten seconds later, he pulled away and reluctantly forced himself to leave.

Scully watched him go, smiling gently.In the nearly two months they'd finally broken down and spoken openly about their feelings, she and Mulder had grown closer and closer, if that was possible.Each was healthier, happier, and less prone to dangerous mistakes.And no one knew.

Oh, it was always a danger, but they were learning to be careful.Public places were avoided.They took a break on cases and tried to stay in their own hotel rooms.They even had the Gunmen sweep both their apartments for bugs every week under the pretense of a new and dangerous case.

Scully grinned wryly to herself as she began to get ready for work.The boys probably knew exactly how many shirts and socks she had in each color.Briefly she wondered which had gone through her underwear drawer, then decided she didn't want to know.That just would not help.

Finally ready, she stopped in front of the mirror and glanced at her reflection.Suddenly she flashed back to the elevator ride up to Mulder's apartment on October 31st._The soulful blue eyes of a woman in love._

And now she could finally admit it.Scully pulled a piece of paper out and scribbled a few words on it, then folded it and put it in her pocket.Right now she wanted nothing more than to be with Mulder.And she was running late.

***

8:57 AM

FBI Headquarters

Mulder was already in his chair, leaning back and examining the ceiling.Scully walked in and dropped the note on his desk.He looked up at her, puzzled, but she merely went back to the door to hang up her coat.Fearing the worst, he unfolded the paper and read it, then breathed a sigh of relief.

_I love you, Mulder._

He slowly leaned over the garbage can and tore the paper into tiny, minuscule shreds.Scully was now on the other side of the office looking through their paperwork.Pretending he needed something too, he reached over her shoulder and grabbed a paper at random, whispering in her ear."Come by tonight and we'll see about a reply."He felt her smile in response and went back to his desk triumphantly."Meanwhile, I've got something here you might be interested in.It looks like an old case of mine has resurfaced."

Scully seated herself across from him."Which one?"

"They called him the Gambler.His signature was a three of diamonds poker card sewed to his victim's chest."

"Huh."Scully looked back at the folder."How did he kill them?"

"Gunshot to the head."

"How many victims?"

"Ten.Then a VCS squad thought they'd found him and made a premature arrest.His lawyer pushed hard for a fast arraignment and he was released on a technicality.He disappeared into the woodworks and was never heard from again."

"Until now?"

"Apparently.This got sent anonymously."He handed her a piece of paper."It's a note claiming there's another victim buried in a field about twenty minutes south of New York city.I already called a forensic excavation team from the local Bureau.They should be out there right now.

"When are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning."

Scully looked up in surprise."Why not now?"

"Because it's going to take them all day to exhume the body—provided there _is one, and I won't be of any help.So today we're gonna find all the old files and get them in our heads so we know what we're dealing with.So yes..." he lowered his voice."My previous invitation still stands."_

Scully ducked her head to hide her grin."If I didn't know better, I'd say you thought this out logically."

"Yep."He looked so proud of himself it was ridiculous.She hated to burst his bubble, but her eyebrow started creeping up of it's own accord.He groaned and gave it up."That, and Skinner said he wasn't gonna bump some poor people off their Christmas flight when chances are I won't be any help."Mulder shrugged."What are you gonna do?"

Scully shook her head."Whatever."Her partner grinned and shot a paper airplane past her head.

"Agent Scully.Please come in."Skinner waved her to a seat."I suppose you're a little curious about why I needed to see you."

"Yes I am, actually."She tried to make herself comfortable."I was under the impression that Agent Mulder and I were already assigned to a case."

"You are.That hasn't changed.I just wanted to ask you—how much has he told you about it?"

"Just the basics, sir."

"I see."Skinner leaned forward and folded his hands on the desk."Agent Mulder was very deeply involved in this whole thing.You know he tends to blame himself when things go wrong.He told those agents it was too soon to get the arrest, but they didn't listen to him.So don't be surprised if..."

"I see."_Damn it, Scully thought.__Is there any case Mulder doesn't get 'involved' in?"Is that all?"_

Skinner hesitated, debating.Then, "Has Agent Mulder been acting... odd over the past few weeks?"

Scully blinked."I'm sorry?"

"I've noticed just a different attitude.Just slightly.If he weren't always in here getting in trouble, I wouldn't even have noticed it."

"Well, sir... I haven't noticed anything, but I could ask him."

"No.No."Skinner said, just as she'd known he would."Never mind.Just make sure he's careful."

_I always do.She thought, but nodded and got up.Mulder was gonna have some explaining to do.Scully left as calmly as she could, but inside her stomach was beginning to coil and ache.What would come next?_

***

Apartment of Fox Mulder

6:00 PM

Scully knocked lightly on the door.On her way back from Skinner's office, one of her old students from the Academy stopped her.I'm assigned to VCS now and I've got this bizarre death and if you're not too busy could you assist on the autopsy 'cause I'm way out of my league here?

Of course she'd had nothing pressing to take care of, and so she'd agreed.The autopsy had been long, hard, and hot, but in the end Scully found what the younger, inexperienced agent would've missed.Only now could she approach her partner about this new case.

And she _was not going to be distracted._

_Business before pleasure, she told herself firmly.Then Mulder opened the door.__Oh, damn._

He had to be wearing those clothes.In stark contrast to the work clothes she hadn't yet changed out of, he stood before her in a black t-shirt and jeans.

"Hey Scully."Mulder waved her in."Autopsy go into overtime?You sounded pretty tired when you called."

"Something like that."She dropped her bag on the floor by the closet."Why'd you ask me to bring this?I'm just going home later anyway, right?"

"Why?"

Scully looked around."Where am I gonna sleep if I stay here?"

Mulder tilted his head at her, a sly grin forming.Then he took her hand."Come 'ere."She raised an eyebrow as she dropped her coat on a chair and took the proffered hand, following him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa."He pulled her around in front of him and put his hands over her eyes, lining her body with his and walking her through his apartment carefully."Almost there..."

"Mulder, what—"

"Ok, ok."She heard a door open."Ready?"

"More than."

"You are _no fun..." he grumbled, then released her."Surprise."_

Scully gaped at Mulder's bedroom."That's a bed."

"Very good, Scully."

"Where'd it come from?"

"I've always had it.I just took it apart and put it in storage when I got the couch.Today I got it back out."

"When?"

"Didn't take long.I left work a little early."He put a hand on her back, intending to lead her further into the room, then stopped."Scully, your muscles are one big knot.Come on."He turned her aside and began to knead the area between her shoulder blades.

"Hmm."She groaned as she began to loosen.What had she wanted to talk to him about again?Scully closed her eyes, trying to focus.It had been important, she remembered that much."Mulder, I—have to talk to you."

"Go 'head."He whispered against her ear."What's up?"

"I—uh... I talked to—"Mulder was leaning down to kiss her neck."Mulder, you're distracting me."

"Good."He said, grinning."It's Friday, Scully, we can put the case aside for a while and pick it up for the flight tomorrow morning."

"Ah—no."She said reluctantly, stepping around to face him."This is important.The, uh... the reason Skinner wanted to see me today."Mulder groaned loudly."Mulder, look.As soon as we take care of this, we can have the whole night.But I want to get it done now so I don't feel guilty."

He sighed and sat on the bed."Ok, go ahead."

"About this case."Scully stood before him, arms crossed over her chest."Skinner told me you took it very personally."

"Scully."Mulder took her hand and spoke to it."I don't know if you noticed, but I take a lot of cases personally."

"Oh, I noticed."

He smiled wryly and continued."It's just who I am.I realize it's not always my fault, but..." he looked up from her hand and into her eyes."I can't help it."

"Psychologist, heal thyself."She said gently, smiling at him."I just want to make sure you're gonna be ok."

Never taking his eyes from hers, Mulder lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it softly."Long as you're with me.Now, was that all?"

Feeling a little ridiculous for thinking it would be such a big deal, Scully nodded."That was all."

"Good.Now, more pressing matters."He pulled at her arm until she was laying on top of him and reached up to kiss her throat.

"Mulder..." she gasped.He rolled over and got off the bed, leaving her on her back."Mulder, what?"

"I'm making dinner."

"Be still my heart."

"You like a guy who cooks, Scully?"

"No, I'm just terrified."

"Just for that..."he leaned in close."No dessert."

"Oh, please forgive me."She whispered sarcastically.

Mulder debated for a moment, then kissed her quickly."Ok."

Scully sat up and grabbed the case file from Mulder's dresser as he left the room, trying to catch up on what she'd missed during the autopsy.

A half-hour later, she put the papers down and wandered into the kitchen.Mulder was leaning over the stove, stirring something on the back burner.She watched silently for a moment, then approached slowly."Can I taste?"The spoon flew back over his shoulder to the floor, splattering sauce everywhere.

"Geez, Scully!"He gasped, spinning around."What are you doing?"

"Testing your reflexes."She looked pointedly at the fallen spoon."I see they're working."

Mulder smirked and knelt to mop up the small mess.After a moment, she joined him."Here."For some reason, her voice was raspy when she handed him a paper towel.

"Thanks."He started to stand up, but Scully's hand was suddenly on his face, her lips covering his softly.

"How is it," she whispered when they broke apart."that you still make me feel this way after so many years?"

"This way?"

"I can't even describe it.The word 'magic' comes to mind, but..."

"Dana Scully believes in magic?"Mulder teased.

"This magic."She stroked his hair.

"My shampoo?"

"You're sure a jerk."

"You love me anyway."

"Yes, I do."Her voice was quiet, introspective."But if we don't finish cleaning this up, you're gonna have a pink floor."

"You're such a neat freak, Scully."

She stood at the sink and picked up the hose, pointing it at him."Take that back."

"Nuh-uh."

"Take it back."Her smile grew into a grin as she squirted him with one short, experimental blast.

"No."He tried to get up, but she blasted him again."You are so asking for it."

"Not if you can't get up—whoa!"Mulder grabbed at her arm and pulled her down, causing her to spray herself before releasing the lever and losing her weapon.The hose clunked dryly against the sink as Scully fell back into his arms.

"You look good wet."He said, hugging her into his lap.

"So do you."

He leaned down.His lips barely brushed hers when there was a knock at the door.

"Yep, that'll be Skinner now."Scully said, hauling herself up.Then she looked around."Oh, shit."

Mulder jumped up as whoever was at the door knocked again."Scully, I really hope you're wrong."

"Me too."

Mulder looked through the peephole.It was Skinner, as suspected.Looking around quickly, he pushed Scully's chair off the chair to the floor, hidden in the darkness of the corner.He opened the door."Sir."

"Agent Mulder."Skinner eyed his wet clothes."Everything all right in there?"

"Oh, yeah, I just—got on the bad side of a leaky faucet.What's up?"

"They unearthed a body.They were able to tell right away it wasn't one of the original victims, just from the sight of it.It was too, uh… fresh."

"So he's started up again?"

"Looks that way.I brought your plane ticket, but I wasn't able to find Agent Scully."

"Oh, I—I can just call her cell phone and have her meet me at the airport."Mulder waited."Was there anything else?"

"Are you going to make the call now?I need to have a word with her."

"Uh… yeah."Mulder went towards the kitchen."Let me just get my phone…"_Please, Scully, do something… why can't he just call her himself?He hadn't even gotten through the room when Skinner call him back._

"Agent Mulder.Isn't that your phone right there?"

"Oh.Yeah."_Scully, Scully, HELP!"I'll just call her up, here…"_

Scully looked around wildly, trying to remember where her phone was.

Oh, _no…_

She remembered.Her cell phone was in her coat pocket.In the living room.

By the chair.

Next to Skinner.

And the ringer was on.

_Mulder…she leaned her head against the wall.__Do something…_

Mulder looked around surreptitiously.If memory served him (and it usually did…), Scully's phone was still in her coat pocket on the floor.He put his own cell to his ear, pushing 'power' instead of speed dial one.Skinner watched as he stood there for a moment, then put the phone down.

"She's not answering."

Scully sighed with relief.

Skinner pulled out his own phone."I'll keep trying."

"No!Uh, no, don't worry about it.Why don't you just write her a note and I'll be sure to deliver it."

"When are you going to see her?"

"I'll—"_Shit.He's not leaving!"I'll page her."_

_Yes!Scully leaned back against the wall.Ok, think.Turn off the pager._

Get the portable phone.

Scully looked cautiously out towards the living room.This was going to be risky.If onlySkinner was looking the other way…

Mulder began to dial Scully's pager number, then saw her out of the corner of his eye.

"Distract him!"she mouthed, pointing to the bedroom where he kept his portable phone.He understood immediately.Stretching awkwardly as he brought the phone to his ear, Mulder directed an elbow at a decorative vase of glass marbles on a nearby shelf, sending them flying.He blinked.

"Well, sir, guess you could finally say I've lost my marbles."

Skinner groaned and knelt to help him pick them up.Scully bolted for the bedroom and breathed a quiet sigh of relief.Skinner thought Mulder had paged her.That was fine.She could handle this.She grabbed the phone off the bedside table and opened the window, climbing out to sit on the fire escape.After waiting a few minutes, she dialed Mulder's cell phone.

"Mulder."

"Mulder, wouldn't it have been easier to just say that I was here looking over a file?"She hissed.

Mulder closed his eyes.That made sense.That would've been easier, huh?"Scully, Skinner wants to talk to you."He handed his superior the phone.

"Agent Scully?"

"Yes, sir."

"I gave Agent Mulder the plane tickets."

_Wait a second.What am I not supposed to know?"Plane tickets to New York?"_

"Yes, they found a body.I need you to do the autopsy.The coroner at the county hospital has it.He said they would have an autopsy bay ready for you whenever you arrive.A man named Nigel Thomas will be at your disposal for photographing the body."

"All right.Is that all?"Scully was fuming.He couldn't have told Mulder that?

"Yes."Skinner hung up and gave Mulder the phone.

"_That's the message you couldn't let me give her?"_

"Agent Mulder, I learned long ago that the best way to keep something a secret is to tell you to pass it on."Skinner started to leave, then turned back."We are going to close the file on this thing, agent.Don't take any chances."And he was gone.

Mulder slowly went to his bedroom, looking for Scully.She was sitting on the windowsill, dangling one leg into the room.Mulder held up the tickets.

"Dinner is burned.You want chicken or pasta?"

"I don't care."She sung her other leg over and stood inside the bedroom, closing the window."Whatever's inconspicuous."Mulder grimaced."This has to stop, Mulder.We just panicked.I can think of a dozen things we could've said to justify my presence here."

"I know."Mulder stepped toward her and laced his fingers through her hair, kissing her softly."I'm sorry.But we have to go.You want to call your mom?We'll probably be there through Christmas."

"I'll call her in the car," Scully said."Come on.Let's get going."

***

Somewhere in the air

9:15 PM

"Hey Scully, you want to join the mile-high club?"

"Shut up, Mulder."

*** 

New York, New York

11:21 PM

Scully rolled over and stared at the clock, her eyes gritty and heavy.Why wouldn't they stay closed?Finally she figured it out.This was the first night in what seemed a very long while she was sleeping without Mulder.

Suddenly, the connecting door swung open.He was standing there like out of a dream, uneasy at being caught.Obviously he'd assumed she would be dead to the world by now.

"Mulder."She motioned him over."Can't sleep?"

"Not really."He seated himself on the side of the bed as she sat up."But that's normal."

"Not lately."She frowned and put a hand to his forehead."Are you feeling ok?"

"Yeah.Scully?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you want for Christmas?"

She blinked."Where'd that come from?"

"I was just wondering.I was sitting there thinking to myself, what would Scully like for Christmas?A Porsche?Diamonds?New keychain?Something silky for the bedroom?"He looked over at his partner.She was sound asleep."Scully, is this going to become a habit?"He got up carefully, pulling the blanket further over her shoulders and kissing her cheek softly.It would be so easy to stay…

No.He turned and forced himself back to his room.It was gonna be a long night.

***

December 23, 2000

9:00 AM

Johnson Memorial Hospital

A small, balding man with a camera came slowly through the doors.Scully looked up.

"You're just in time.I was about to get started."

"Yeah, the, uh, other doctor wanted some pictures taken.Such a perfectionist.Took a while."He rolled his shoulders and looked around."You got the body out already."

Scully looked at the 250-lb. Giant of a man on the examining table."Yeah."

"Who's assisting?"He blanched as she rose an eyebrow at him."I can't assist, Miss Scully.I've got another—"

"Your assistance won't be necessary, Mr. Thomas.I just need you to take the pictures."

"Oh."He breathed a sigh of relief."It's just that I've been double-booked so many times…" He talked as he worked, an endless line of prattle."And there's always someone who needs more of this or more of that or another shot of this—help me flip him?Thanks.Or a doctor who thinks I've got nothing better to do and then I get stuck, everything gets pushed back, people get annoyed, I get in trouble… and the next day it starts all over again.Even Saturdays.Like today, I got a ton of stuff to do.I love my job.Ok, I think you're all set here.I'll give the prints to the coroner and he can call you… or fax you… or whatever…" his voice trailed off as he left the room.Scully stared after him. 

"O…k."

A few hours later, Mulder came in with a grim look on his face."We have a problem, Scully."

She looked up."What?"

"I got the pictures from Dr. Weiss, the coroner?Look at this."He showed her the picture of the victim's chest.The three of diamonds had not yet been removed.

"So…?"

"The card is face up."

She blinked."Yeah."

"On all the other victims, the card was face down."

Scully frowned. "Mulder, I may not have an eidetic memory, but I think I would've remembered something like that._Especially_ something so obvious."

"No, it wasn't on the report.It was just something that occurred to me right at the end of the case.I was going over all the victims, picturing them in my mind, and it came to me.Generally you would think the actual signature would be face up, but this one was inverted.Then I thought that not only was _that _backwards, everything else was, too.He sewed the card on, _then_ shot them.And it became compulsive…"He glanced at her."Anyway, I think you see where I'm going with this."

Miraculously, she did."It's a copycat."

***

8:00 PM

Mulder walked outside, stretching.Scully was 'meditating'—at least that was what he called it.He had a feeling if she ever found that out he'd get his ass kicked.Truly, she was spacing.He could see it just as clearly as if he were in the room with her.Glasses on the table upside down, elbows on the table, head bowed, fingers massaging her temples.Probably the picture of the inverted card and the picture they'd had taken earlier in the day side by side in front of her.Her frustration at the circular thinking this problem introduced.

His thoughts weren't exactly linear either.So he walked around the corner, then stopped short.The bounty hunter was standing in the shadows.

"Geez!"Mulder grabbed for his gun.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Agent Mulder."He said infuriatingly.

"How the hell do you expect me to believe that?"

"I saved you.I gave you your life back—don't you remember being dead?"

"Why would you do that?"

"Krycek wants you gone."

Mulder scoffed, making a dismissive motion with his hand.What's that supposed to mean?

"I don't like him."The tone made it seem like the obvious answer, until he spoke again."That, and you've been of use to us."

"Who's 'us'?"

"You're just full of questions, aren't you, Agent Mulder?And I don't have time to answer them.I have some information about your current case."

Mulder folded his arms, his finger still on the trigger of the gun.The bounty hunter didn't seem to care.Finally, he clicked it off.Hard to hit the back of a person's neck unless you're Scully."Go on."

"You have discovered that things have changed.It's not the same person as it was all those years ago."

"And you know who it is."

"Alex Krycek."

"Krycek."Mulder groaned."Just when you think you've got rid of him for good.But what's he looking to do?"

"Your partner is in great danger, Agent Mulder.She has something he wants."He began to walk away.

"What?"He gasped."Wh—"But he had dropped back into the shadows, vanishing around a corner."Scully."Mulder raced back to her room.

***

Unknown location

Krycek looked at the man sitting on the couch."Do you understand?"He stared back blankly.Sighing with irritation, he picked up a gun and pointed it at a picture.The man's eyes brightened and he took the gun.

Outside the window, another man's eyes widened, and he took off running.

***

8:15

"Scully!"Mulder burst into her room through the connecting door.She jumped out of her chair.

"What—"

"You're ok?Nothing happened?"

"Y—I'm fine, but—"

Mulder gasped for breath, reaching out and stroking her hair.Scully spoke softly as her hand went up to cover his."Mulder.Mulder, what happened?"

"I was so scared, Scully.I thought—"

"Sit down."She led him to a chair."What happened?"

"I was taking a walk.Never got more than fifteen feet away from the room when I ran into our old friend the bounty hunter.I know."He acknowledged Scully's expression."He said it was Krycek who murdered that man to get us up here.He said…"He looked up at her, touching her arm."He said Krycek wants to kill you 'cause you have something he wants."

Scully bit her lip."Was he telling the truth?"

"I think so."Mulder hesitated, then pulling her down to sit on the bed with him."Scully… reckless as I may be with my own life, I'm not inclined to be the same with yours.I want to stay here tonight."

"Mulder…" she said warningly.

"Not—not like that.I'll sit in the chair.I just don't want you to be alone."

She sighed."Let's make this easy.Are you going to give up on this any time soon if I say no?"

"Do I ever?"He grinned and got up, striding over the chair she had vacated.Scully rolled her eyes and yawned.Then he noticed that she was already dressed for bed.

"Fine, Mulder.But you _stay there_."

"Ooh, Scully, I don't know if I can do that."He leered."Maybe you should cuff me."

"In your dreams, lover boy."She grinned as she crawled under the covers. 

"Scully, you know me so well.Mwah!"He blew an exaggerated kiss in her direction.One more roll of the eyes and she turned her back to him, turning off the light.Mulder closed the drapes and sat just out of line of sight from outside.She squeezed her eyes shut when she heard him pull his gun from the holster and knew he had it ready in his hand.

Without her realizing it, a tear raced down her face, and then his hand was there, wiping it away gently and rubbing her shoulder.She shook once, then allowed him to pull her up into his arms, not questioning how he'd known; how he always knew.

"Scully…" he said softly, not wanting to push.

"I'm so sick of this."She choked."I know it's the job, danger's a part of it, but—"she leaned back to view his face, his eyes stunned at the admission."Are we always going to be looking over our shoulders?"

There was nothing he could say.So he pulled her close again and offered what comfort he could until it looked like she was about to drift off.Then he took up his post by the window and didn't leave for the rest of the night.

***

December 24, 2000

Scully stirred, groaning faintly.Water was running somewhere nearby and she could hear a voice humming a very familiar tune._Jeremiah was a bullfrog…_She opened her eyes.Mulder.

He was standing in the bathroom with the door open, shaving.Scully sat up, pulling her knees to her chest and watching openly.Oblivious to his audience, Mulder hummed on until he finished, then started back into the room.He stopped short in the door what he noticed her. 

"Not bad," she said, grinning wickedly.

"I'm glad you find me so enthralling," he returned, advancing on her until she was unable to move.His voice was husky as he leaned down to kiss her."Merry Christmas Eve, Scully."

"Mm."Her reply was lost in his mouth.So much for taking a break on cases… which reminded her."Mulder, we've got to go to the police station, tell them what's going on."

"Or," Mulder said, moving down to her throat, "we could stay here and make out."

"Somehow I don't think so."Scully pushed him off."I gotta go get ready.You want to call the chief, let him know we're coming?"

"Yeah, sure."Mulder reached over to the table and dialed the phone.A man answered after seven rings.

"_What?_"He yelled.

"Chief Michaels?This is Special Agent Fox Mulder with the FBI."

"_Mulder?_"Came the screeching reply.He held the phone away from his ear as the man yelled on."_Mary!Cut out that confounded NOISE!_"

Scully heard from the bathroom, raised an eyebrow, decided she didn't want to know.

"Sir?Sir, Agent Scully and I—"

"_What?_"

"Sir—"

"Mary, I _don't speak German!_I don't—what about _red hair?_"

Mulder froze.So he said red hair.Scully was not the only redhead on the planet.But still… "Sir… _sir!_"Scully stepped out of the bathroom and fixed him with a stern look.He flapped his hands frustratedly and she ducked back out of sight."Sir, what was that you said about red hair?"

"Yeah, some nut head rambling in German, all we got out of him was 'red hair'."

"Is he lucid?"

"Uh… I suppose."

"Chief, my partner and I are gonna be coming in, and I think we're going to want to speak with him.Will that be possible?"

The man scoffed."Bring a _translator!_"

***

New York District 154 Police Station

Interrogation Room

Mulder sat impatiently in a chair across from the German.Scully was still outside, talking to the chief.Finally she walked in, and all hell broke loose.

"Ich spreche Deutsch," she said.

"Mein Gott!"The man jumped and pointed at her, babbling at Mulder in some incomprehensible language.

"Slow—langsam fahren!"Scully said."Slow down.Uh… was ist… deine… name?"Mulder raised an eyebrow and she shrugged."It's close, anyway."

"Georg."The man seemed slightly relieved that someone sort of knew how to talk to him.

"Georg.Sind sie fertig?"

"Ich habe hunger."

"Ok."She turned to Mulder."Why don't you get him something to eat?I'll stay here and talk to him."

"All right.I'll be right back.Don't go anywhere, ok?Be careful."

"I will.Go ahead."

An hour later, Mulder came back and found Scully pacing in front of the door to the interrogation room, cell phone at her ear.He tapped her on the shoulder and she spun around, hitting 'end'.

"Mulder, where _were_ you?"

"Seems there's an elaborate conspiracy."He said with a grin."Every time I turned around someone wanted to talk to me or ask me something… how'd it go?"

Scully sighed."He said he followed his brother here from Germany, because he was going to do something bad.Apparently there was a man who paid for his brother's trip who visited them quite often and offered money and a safe ride back home after he did a job for him.This man had a prosthetic arm."

"Krycek."

"It would seem so.And now Georg says he saw Krycek give his brother a gun with instructions to shoot me."

"Why?"

"I don't know.I have something he needs, remember?"

Mulder clenched his teeth."So what now?"

"Georg's in there with a composite artist describing his brother.This way we can put out an APB.Forget about finding Krycek.He'll just slip through again."

"Yeah."The door opened and the artist came out, handing them a piece of paper.

"It's a good thing I speak a little German, or this wouldn't have gotten done.But from the look on that guy's face, this is who you're looking for."

"Thank you, officer."Mulder said."Could you give Georg this food?And make sure he stays safe.Agent Scully and I need to get going."

"Sure."

***

Red Barn Hotel

New York, New York

Mulder parked the car and walked with Scully toward their rooms, not knowing what would come next.Suddenly, a shot rang out and she was on the ground.Krycek and Georg's brother watched from the shadows.

"No—Scully, please…" Mulder begged, dropped to his knees beside her and dialing 911."Come on—yes, this is Special Agent Fox Mulder with the FBI.My partner's been shot."On and on went the questions, which he knew intellectually were to keep him calm, though he didn't feel it at all.Finally he just hung up on the operator and looked down at his partner."I'm sorry, Scully, I should have—"

"Mulder—Mulder, listen to me."Scully gasped."You are panicking.Stop it."

"You've just been _shot_, Scully.Forgive me for being a little concerned."

"Press down—on the wound—" She gasped, her eyes slipping closed.

"No—Scully!"Mulder managed to stop the blood flow just as the ambulance pulled up.

"Sir?Sir, don't go fainting on us.Come on, get the wheels over here… ma'am, if you can hear me, we're taking you to the hospital…"

As soon as the ambulance left the scene, the shooter hurried out to the puddle of blood that had gathered and scooped up what he could with a small vial.He exchanged it with Krycek for a few thousand dollars in German currency and a plane ticket home before the two men vanished in opposite directions into the night.

***

December 25, 2000

New York County Hospital

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty.It's Christmas…" Mulder whispered in Scully's ear.Her eyes fluttered and slowly opened."Hey homegirl.Word up."

"Mulder?"Scully asked softly."What happened?"

"You were shot."Mulder raised the bed a little."In the left shoulder.We're gonna have matching scars now."

"What?" 

"Georg's brother, I assume," he said, stroking her hair."Right through your left shoulder.You lost a lot of blood, but they got you stabilized pretty quick."

"Oh."Scully looked around."It's Christmas?"

"Yeah.Your gift is back in DC, though.Do you want to call your mom?"

"Uh… no.Not now.I'll talk to her on the plane.I don't want her worrying if it's not that big a deal."

Not that big a deal.Only Scully would say that about a gunshot wound, Mulder thought.

"Mulder, is this case over?Or is Krycek going to kill more people?"

"I don't think so."He answered."Skinner said as soon as the doctor says it's ok, we're going home."

"Great.Just one more unexplained, unsolved folder to add to the collection."

"Another day in the life of us."Mulder said."But at least we were able to prevent any more killings."

"At least."She murmured.Mulder leaned down and kissed her softly. 

"I'm gonna go talk to your doctor."

"Ok."

Scully watched as he walked away.Would it never end?

***

Unknown location

Krycek gave the doctor the blood."In here there should be evidence of immunity to the alien virus.I need you to make a vaccine.We're the only ones who need to know about this, understand?"

"Yes, sir."The doctor nodded.All he wanted was to do was live.

***

Washington, DC

6:39 PM

"Where are we going?"Scully asked, trying to hold back a laugh at Mulder's attempt to carry all the bags so she wouldn't strain her shoulder.

"Well—I want to give you your present.So let's go see the Gunmen."

Scully stopped walking."Why?"

He shrugged, grinning sheepishly."I hid your gift there so you wouldn't stumble across it while you were at my place."

That was it; Scully burst out laughing.Mulder looked on, confused.

"What?"

"There's where _I _hid _your_ present!"She gasped.

"Well, my dear Agent Scully, I guess great minds think alike.But could we get things moving?My arms are gonna fall off."

Scully rolled her eyes and started walking again, leading him to the car.This could be a long night.

***

Offices of the Lone Gunmen

"Hey guys, open up!"Mulder knocked on the office door.

"What's the password?"Frohike called.

"I'm armed."He growled."And Scully's hurt."

"Scully's hurt?"

"What happened?"

"Open the _door_, man!"

The door swung open so fast they nearly fell in.Scully glared at Mulder as the Gunmen escorted her to one of the couches, talking nonstop.

"Guys—guys, I'm ok._Hey_!"They stopped."We just came to get our gifts."

"Oh—ok, we'll get 'em…"

"Stay here—don't more…"

"Make yourself comfortable."

"Hey."Mulder whispered a few words to his friends as they gave him the packages.When Scully looked up next, they were nowhere to be seen and Mulder was sitting next to her on the couch.

"Where'd they go?"

"Oh, they're still here.I just asked them to give us a few minutes.Here.Merry Christmas, Scully."

She took the box and unwrapped it carefully."Oh, Mulder."Inside was a card for a 5-year membership to a tennis club in Georgetown.It was made out to Katherine Scully."Mulder, I—"

"This is for all the times you need to get away," he said."I know I take a lot out of you and I know you sometimes need a normal life.So… here it is."

Scully stared at him."Mulder… I don't know what to say.I mean, I love it…"

"That's all you need to say, then."He said, smiling gently.

"Well, here."She handed him his box."I, uh, don't know if—"

But Mulder wasn't listening.Already he had his gift open and was staring at the contents.Nestled in the paper was a stuffed fox.He glanced at his partner, who was leaning back against the couch with her eyes closed."It's for your nightmares," she said."When I can't be with you.It's—"

"Perfect."He said, then got up and pulled her into his arms."Now you'll be with me all the time."Mulder gazed into her eyes for a moment before lacing his fingers through her hair and kissing her gently.Scully's arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him even closer until something made them stop.

The Lone Gunmen were standing in the door, and their jaws had dropped about a foot.

"Uh—we're sorry for intruding," Byers managed, backing away.

Frohike stared for another minute, then shrugged."Ah, hell, I guess I saw this coming."

Langly grinned and nudged Mulder with his elbow before leaving."You _dog_, you!"

When they were alone again, Mulder looked back at Scully."Why do I get the feeling we've just been given their blessing?"

"Because we have."She said simply, smiling gently.

"Poor Frohike.I wonder what he's gonna fixate on now that you're taken."

"Well… you could always give him those videos of yours…"

"They're _not mine_!"He growled, tickling her until they fell on the couch."Ah, what do I need them for, anyway?I've got you."

Scully scoffed, but the look in her eyes was pure adoration."I love you, Mulder."She whispered, and they were lost in each other again.

End Part 9/??

One LAST NOTE!(Couldn't help myself)I know that's like the weirdest Christmas presents they possibly could've given each other, but hey—I was tired.It's one o'clock in the morning.You forgive me, right?


End file.
